Ravens' John Harbaugh 'Astonished' by Dolphins' Handling of Tua Tagovailoa's Injuries

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said it was "astonishing" to see what happened with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over the past two games.

Tagovailoa stumbled to his feet and struggled to maintain his balance after hitting his head on the field in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. He returned in the second half after the Dolphins said he cleared the NFL's concussion protocols.

The third-year quarterback left Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher after a hit that caused him to remain down on the field for several minutes. He was transported to and later released from the hospital after evaluation for head and neck injuries. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said he suffered a concussion and nothing "more serious."

"A lot of times players want to play and sometimes you just have to tell them, 'No.' No has to be the answer," Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh's reaction is in line with many of the opinions expressed on social media before, during and after Thursday night's contest.

Chris Nowinski, the CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, wrote before the game that Tagovailoa shouldn't be allowed to take the field:

Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe questioned the Dolphins' handling of the situation after the 24-year-old exited the game:

The NFL Players Association had already launched an investigation into whether Miami properly enforced concussion protocols by allowing Tagovailoa to return against the Bills.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith sent a statement to two members of the Amazon broadcast team, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman, on Thursday night about the union's plans after the latest injury, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

"We insisted on these rules to avoid exactly this scenario," Smith said. "We will pursue every legal option, including making referrals against the doctors to licensing agencies and the team that is obligated to keep our players safe."

Judy Battista of the NFL Network spoke with Dr. Allen Sills, the league's chief medical officer, who said Tagovailoa was tested throughout the week for concussion symptoms before he took the field Thursday:

As of Friday afternoon, the Dolphins haven't provided an official medical update on Tagovailoa since McDaniel provided the initial diagnosis after the game, though he told reporters Friday the quarterback has a headache and was undergoing an MRI.

Miami's next game is scheduled for Oct. 9 when it visits the New York Jets.