Damar Hamlin, much like the rest of the football world, is hoping Tua Tagovailoa has a speedy recovery.
Tagovailoa left the Dolphin's "Thursday Night Football" contest against the Bills after he ran into Hamlin on a fourth-down play. The hit left the Miami QB with a concussion and knocked him out for the remainder of the game.
There was nothing malicious behind the Bills safety's tackle on Tagovailoa. In fact, the most forceful part of the tackle resulted from Tagovailoa running into Hamlin, as the QB's head went directly into the chest of the defender.
"I was just trying to make a routine tackle," Hamlin said after the game . "Trying to get them off the field on fourth down."
Here is more on what Hamlin said about Tagovailoa and his message to the Miami quarterback.
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Damar Hamlin's message to Tua Tagovailoa
After the game, Hamlin was one of many players from around the league to send a heartwarming message to Tagovailoa, wishing him a quick and healthy recovery after Thursday's scary incident at Hard Rock Stadium.
If anyone knows how a seemingly innocent hit can be anything but, it's Hamlin. The Buffalo safety enjoyed a remarkable return to health after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field in January 2023 after he tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Now, he's on the other end of a tackle that has caused a serious injury, despite no ill intent from his side.
"It’s trauma. It will always be there," Hamlin said. "I’m able to not be affected by it because of the work that I’ve done. I went through trauma therapy. I have a psychologist I talk to. It’s allowed me to push my mind forward, push my process forward. I did the hard stuff last year as far as putting the pads on, tackling, getting game-ready to know that I’m now perfectly fine and perfectly able to go back and play."
MORE: How long is Tua Tagovailoa out for?
Tua Tagovailoa hit vs. Bills
In the third quarter of the Dolphins' 31-10 loss to the Bills at home, Tagovailoa attempted to scramble for a touchdown on a fourth-and-4 from the 13-yard line. He picked up the necessary yards to move the chains, but instead of sliding, he put his head to try and get by Hamlin for the score.
As a result, his helmet went right into the chest of the Buffalo safety, knocking him to the ground.
Tagovailoa was frozen on the ground for a brief moment before exhibiting fencing posture — an "unnatural" position when the arms stiffly jut out from the body.
He stayed down on the field for a few minutes as the medical team attended to him.
Tagovailoa eventually rose to his feet and walked off the field, receiving an ovation from the crowd. He made his way to the locker room, where he was ruled out of the rest of the game with a concussion just six minutes after the hit.
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