Al Michaels slammed for Damar Hamlin 'irony' remark about Tua Tagovailoa concussion

Storied NFL broadcaster Al Michaels was ripped to shreds after a comment deemed insensitive following Tua Tagovailoa's game-ending concussion on Thursday Night Football.

Tagovailoa struggled in a 31-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills and threw for 145 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions before the start of the fourth quarter . Late in the third quarter, on a fourth-down scramble, the Miami QB tried to scramble up the middle of the field to extend a play and give the Dolphins better field position. He crashed into Bills safety Damar Hamlin in a collision that instantly showed signs of a serious injury.

Tagovailoa’s body appeared stuck on the ground , with his hands flung in the air. He seemed to be limp before rolling over. The Dolphin's medical team came to the aid of their quarterback as the broadcast went to a commercial.

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The Dolphins almost immediately announced that Tagovailoa was out for the remainder of the game with a concussion on X. On the broadcast, Michaels said: "A little irony there, he got hit by Damar Hamlin . You know that history."

NFL fans blasted Michaels for insensitivity, with one fan writing: "I felt Michael’s comment unnecessary." Another football fan couldn't even believe the commentary they heard and said: "Did Al Michaels just say Hamlin making the tackle on Tua was ironic?"

Football fans also joked about the incident, saying that Michaels could be attempting to get fired on purpose to start his retirement. They wrote on X: "Al is trying to get fired already so he don't have to call another Thursday Night Football game."

The comment from Michaels was a reflection of Hamlin's season-ending medical emergency in 2023, where he experienced a rare cardiac arrest after a tackle in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals .

Some fans backed the 79-year-old's insight and boiled it down to misusing words, irony versus coincidental. The delivery and timing of his comment were seen as tone-deaf, particularly regarding the endless worries regarding player safety in the NFL, especially regarding Tagovailoa's past .

The play on the field immediately worried Dolphins fans and head coach Mike McDaniel, who was nearly teary-eyed on the sidelines after seeing his player leave the game. NFL legend Tony Gonzalez said that the worrying consistency of the injuries could head to retirement, with Richard Sherman in agreement that retirement should be evaluated.