The story of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is far from unique in the NFL, as the NFL saw an 18% year-over-year increase in concussion cases in 2022.
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The League’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills admitted on Friday that the total number of such injuries has risen from 126 to 149.
As the ESPN network reports, the specialist wanted to justify this increase by changing the Goodell circuit’s definition of the term “concussion”. After the troubles in Weeks 3 and 4 of Tagovailoa’s 2022 regular season, severely rocked for two games in a matter of days, the NFL has changed certain parameters of its protocol regarding head injuries.
“We continue to be more cautious and conservative in the assessment and diagnosis of concussions. It’s not just an opinion. It’s backed by data,” he said, adding that the league’s medical officials have performed an average of 1.6 exams per game on athletes who may have suffered a concussion.
Other statistics
Additionally, information released by the NFL indicates that 52 health issues of this type were identified between the start of training camps and the start of regular game schedules. That’s a 14% increase over 2021 when you combine the season and exhibition period totals.
NFL Vice President Jeff Miller and Sills also shared some injury statistics. In particular, a drop of 5.6% was recorded in these – including the pre-season and regular season. Complaints in the lower extremities of the body were reduced by 14% in one year.
Tagovailoa has gone through the log a few times in 2022, including the final end of the campaign. He suffered shock on December 25 during a game against the Green Bay Packers and missed the rest of the season, including the first-round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.