MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, and coach Mike McDaniel insisted Friday that the only thing that should matter to him — or anyone — is Tagovailoa's health.
For the short term at least, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins' starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night's 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he leaves the game after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Dolphins will bring in another quarterback, while Tagovailoa deals with concussion
Dolphins will bring in another quarterback, while Tagovailoa deals with concussion
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was at the team facility Friday, as expected and as McDaniel said would be the case, to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
How long that process takes is one of the countless unknowns right now.
“The people that matter most, and their opinions, are Tua, the doctors and the experts,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel and Tagovailoa have expressed often over their time together that their relationship is close. And McDaniel tried to make clear multiple times Friday that his top priority is Tagovailoa's well-being — not when he plays again.
“All the science behind concussions tells you what we’ve learned is how delicate the time is right after an injury and how important it is that you don’t institute extra sources of anxiety,” McDaniel said. “So, from my vantage point, I feel it’s supremely important in understanding that, that I’m not giving off any sort of vibes.”
There are a slew of veteran quarterbacks available for the Dolphins to consider, including Jimmy Garoppolo and former Miami starter Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins have not revealed any players who are under consideration, and — despite plenty of former players suggesting it may be time for Tagovailoa to consider his long-term health — McDaniel said it would be “so wrong” for him to even think about weighing in on whether the quarterback should play again.
“I wish people would for a second hear what I’m saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him,” McDaniel said. "So, I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care — that should be the last thing on your mind.”
Concerns and opinions from around the football world were coming nonstop Friday, from former Alabama coach Nick Saban — Tagovailoa's college coach — urging the quarterback and his family to proceed with caution, to Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce saying he would tell Tagovailoa to stop playing the game.
“I’ll be honest: I’d just tell him to retire," Pierce said.
All that seems certain: McDaniel doesn't envision Tagovailoa playing in Miami's next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
Tagovailoa was hurt on a play where he collided into Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa, who was rushing successfully for a first down, initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding as many quarterbacks do on a scramble.
Players from both teams motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt after that play, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs — certain arm movements, for example — typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline after the play in the third quarter.
McDaniel gave his quarterback a kiss on the side of the head as he left the field Thursday. McDaniel revealed Friday that, in that moment, he was telling Tagovailoa to focus on what matters most — his health and his family.
“All I'm telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend," McDaniel said. “And then we'll move from there.”
There are five steps, as mandated by the NFL concussion protocol, that Tagovailoa will have to clear before he can return to the field. That process can take days or even weeks.
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
“We’re just evaluating the pros and cons for the different situations and getting through all those possibilities to do the best thing for the team,” McDaniel said, when revealing that the team had already decided to bring in another quarterback. "But as it stands today, I’m expecting that Skylar is the next man up.”
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins' offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday's game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) as he leaves the game after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) lies on the field after suffering a concussion during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Dolphins will bring in another quarterback, while Tagovailoa deals with concussion
Dolphins will bring in another quarterback, while Tagovailoa deals with concussion
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators vetting the nomination of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary received an affidavit Tuesday from a former sister-in-law alleging that the onetime Fox News host was abusive to his second wife, to the point where she feared for her safety. Hegseth denies the allegations.
The sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, was formerly married to the nominee's brother, and in an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press, she said she believes that Pete Hegseth is “unfit” to run the Defense Department based on what she witnessed and heard. She said she first relayed her allegations to the FBI in December but was concerned that the information was not shared with Congress as senators consider Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon.
The affidavit describes Hegseth’s treatment of his second wife, Samantha, and alleges repeat drunkenness and a domestic situation where Samantha Hegseth had a safe word to indicate if she was in danger at home. Danielle Hegseth said Samantha texted that safe word to her sometime in 2015 or 2016, which prompted her to call a third party for help.
“I have chosen to come forward publicly, at significant personal sacrifice, because I am deeply concerned by what Hegseth’s confirmation would mean for our military and our country,” she said.
An attorney for Pete Hegseth vehemently denied the allegations. Tim Parlatore said the affidavit was filled with “belated claims” by an ex-relative with “an axe to grind against the entire Hegseth family.”
“Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview," Parlatore said in a statement. "Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr. Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that.”
The affidavit was filed in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said he was seeking her statement to gain “personal knowledge about Mr. Hegseth’s fitness to occupy this important position.”
In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth says she believes Hegseth’s marriage to Samantha was abusive. She said Samantha in 2014 told her she once hid in her closet because she feared for her safety. She acknowledged she did “not personally witness physical or sexual abuse” by Pete Hegseth toward his wife.
“I believe what Samantha told me because what she told me is consistent with what I personally observed of Hegseth’s erratic and aggressive behavior over many years,” she said.
Neither Samantha Hegseth nor an attorney who represented her in divorce proceedings immediately responded to requests for comment. A lawyer for Danielle Hegseth noted that she wouldn't be commenting further than the affidavit.
In a statement to NBC News, which first reported on the affidavit, Samantha Hegseth said there "was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.”
Samantha Hegseth and Pete Hegseth both signed a Minnesota court document in 2021 during their divorce saying neither claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.
Republican leaders said they doubted the new allegations would change the votes of support they are lining up for Hegseth. They marched ahead with the nomination Tuesday evening, taking a key procedural step needed to confirm him by week's end.
“Looks like a desperate ploy by Democrats who are being driven by the far left because they know that we have the votes to confirm,” said Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 GOP leader.
Asked if the new allegations changes the votes for Hegseth, he said: “No.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he was aware of the reported allegations and compared the situation to the claims made against Brett Kavanaugh during his own confirmation hearing, before he was eventually confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.
“I don’t really have anything to offer,” Cornyn said. “I was involved in the Kavanaugh hearings, where people came out of the closet making all sorts of false allegations.”
Questions were raised before Hegseth’s hearing last week about the scope of the FBI background check, which some said failed to include interviews with those who had raised allegations against him. Democrats pushed for a deeper FBI review that could be more broadly shared with senators.
During the hearing, Hegseth did not directly answer yes or no to questions about his drinking, instead saying the issue was part of an orchestrated smear campaign against him.
At the time, it was left to the Trump transition team to decide how much more information to pursue and share on Hegseth.
The information in the affidavit was not relayed to the leaders of the Armed Services Committee when FBI officials briefed them earlier this month on the results of Hegseth’s background check, according to a person familiar with the contents of the briefing who was granted anonymity to discuss it.
“As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation," Reed said in a statement Tuesday. “I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms my fears.”
Hegseth was grilled by senators during his hearing about his behavior, including excessive drinking, extramarital affairs and allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job and has denied a 2017 sex assault allegation but acknowledged paying the woman a settlement. He was going through a divorce at the time after having a child with a Fox News producer who became his current wife, according to court records and his social media posts.
In the affidavit, Danielle Hegseth also alleges that Pete Hegseth, while under the influence of alcohol and both were leaving a bar, repeatedly shouted “no means yes!"
“I took this to mean that, in his opinion, nonconsensual sex is ok,” Danielle Hegseth said in the affidavit.
AP reporters Eric Tucker and Lolita C. Baldor contributed from Washington.
Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth arrives before President-elect Donald Trump at a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)