On Sunday, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa appeared to be uneasy when walking after taking a hard hit against the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa was not diagnosed with a concussion and instead a back injury and returned shortly to the game. On Thursday, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa suffered another hard hit and had to leave the game on a stretcher.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, what should be done in response to the situation with Tua, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Additionally, a compilation of the top news and sports headlines from the past week.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 76 features a breakdown of everything you need to know regarding cryptocurrency. If you’ve heard of crypto but have no idea what it is, this podcast is for you! Go listen to and download the Zander’s Facts podcast, including this week’s ZF Flashback, wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, October 2, 2022:
ZANDER’S ANALYSIS
Tua was failed, and changes are needed
The situation surrounding Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is disheartening.
To give you full context, let’s go back to Sunday. During Sunday’s game between the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was injured on a passing play where he hit the ground hard on his back. Tagovailoa got up and appeared to be okay for a few seconds, but then proceeded to stumble before being helped by his teammates. Take a look for yourself (click to watch the video on YouTube):
Now I’m no expert, but that doesn’t look like the aftermath of a back injury.
Tagovailoa did go through concussion protocol and was cleared. He went back into the game and led the Dolphins to a comeback win.
For the next few days, questions surrounded Tagovailoa and his injury status, but the Dolphins were adamant that it was a back injury and that he would play in the team’s next game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.
Fast forward to Thursday, Tagovailoa is starting for the Dolphins and things are going fine. Until there were a little less than six minutes left in the second quarter. Tagovailoa is taken down by a Bengals defender and remains on the ground for quite some time. You can watch the play and the aftermath here (click to watch the video on YouTube):
Almost immediately after he went down, Tagovailoa’s fingers assumed the fencing position, a response associated with traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions. Tagovailoa was then stretchered off the field and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He had full movement in his extremities and was able to fly back to Miami with the team later that night.
However, the internet went ablaze after Tagovailoa’s scary moment on Thursday night. The responses, nearly all critical of allowing Tagovailoa to play on Thursday, came not just from random Twitter accounts, but also experts in the field of brain injuries. Those included Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and former WWE superstar, who voiced his objections to Tagovailoa playing before,
during,
and after the game.
Insider - Concussion expert says Tua Tagovailoa should sit out the season, reconsider Dolphins' handling of his head injury: 'I would not trust this team anymore'
In the aftermath, it was found that the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who cleared Tagovailoa on Sunday was fired. There are those that do want the coaching staff and entire organization punished, but if it is true that Tagovailoa was wrongfully cleared, then we have bigger issues.
Namely, is the accusation that the NFL and its teams have requested medical staff to err on the side of letting players play? But also, is the current NFL concussion protocol inadequate?
There are no definitive answers to these two important questions at the moment, but if the answers to those two questions turn out to be true, something needs to change.
We broke down several major controversies the NFL was dealing with earlier this summer, and while concussions, CTE, and brain injuries have plagued the league in recent years, they have moved back to the forefront of many.
What is clear is that Tua Tagovailoa has been failed by the NFL, and we need to take steps to make sure others don’t follow down the same road. It’s not just in the best interest of player safety, which should be first and foremost in a dangerous sport like football, but also in the best interest business-wise of the NFL. With youth football participation rates dropping and many parents concerned about injuries to their children if they play, it would benefit the league to take major steps to ensure the safety of players and not let what happened this week happen again.
What Zander’s been reading this week
This week’s featured article takes a look at how institutions of higher education in the United States are making money, and how these practices are harming many current and potential students.
Check out this week’s featured article on Slate - One of Higher Ed’s Worst-Kept Secrets Is Out. It’s Even Grimmer Than We Knew (Link for article on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top sports stories of the week in the ZF Sporting Club:
The United States beat China 83-61 in the final of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup to take gold for the fourth straight tournament. Team USA had a revamped roster for this tournament, with mainstays Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and others not on the roster. However, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and A’Ja Wilson were able to lead the U.S. to victory, including the largest margin of victory ever in a FIBA World Cup final.
New York Yankees centerfielder Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris’ AL home run si-season record with 61 home runs on Wednesday. While the AL record is controversial as Barry Bonds’ 73 home runs are tainted by the wide suspicion that Bonds was using steroids, Judge’s mark is still impressive. Judge is now attempting to hold sole possession of what many believe to be the record, going for his 62nd home run with the regular season ending on Wednesday.
NBA superstar LeBron James has bought a pickleball team. James, along with fellow NBA players Kevin Love and Draymond Green, and several business partners, purchased a Major League Pickleball team, although the team purchased was not disclosed. Pickleball is a fast-growing sport in the U.S., with new facilities and players appearing all over the country, evidenced by the expansion of MLP from 12 to 16 teams.
The NFL’s week four Sunday action gets started early today with the first international game of the season. At 9:30 am et on NFL Network, the Vikings take on the Saints from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. Then in the afternoon, Washington and Dallas reignite their rivalry at 1:00 pm et, with Jaguars-Eagles, Bills-Ravens, and Titans-Colts also taking place in the early slot. The 4:00 pm et window features the Patriots taking on the Packers, and the Broncos facing the Raiders, the only remaining winless team in the league. Then on Sunday night, Patrick Mahomes faces Tom Brady as the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers, and the Rams face the 49ers in an NFC West matchup on Monday night. On Thursday night, the Bengals beat the Dolphins 27-15.
College Football’s week five was major for the ACC’s Atlantic division, with all four ranked teams in the division facing each other. On Saturday night, #5 Clemson was able to top #10 NC State at home 30-20 in NC State’s first all-top-ten matchup, while #22 Wake Forest took care of #23 Florida State 31-21 earlier. While #20 Arkansas got close, #2 Alabama was able to put the Hogs away in the second half with a 49-26 road win. #1 Georgia had a surprisingly tough road test against Missouri, needing a fourth-quarter touchdown to win 26-22. #14 Ole Miss survived #7 Kentucky at home 22-19, and #9 Oklahoma State won last year’s Big 12 Championship game rematch against #16 Baylor 36-25. There were also some big upsets, with TCU destroying #18 Oklahoma 55-24, Mississippi State beating #17 Texas A&M 42-24, Purdue knocking off #20 Minnesota on the road 20-10, UCLA beating #15 Washington to remain undefeated 40-32, and Georgia Tech taking down #24 Pittsburgh on the road 26-21 in the Yellow Jackets’ first game after firing head coach Geoff Collins. Next week, ESPN’s College GameDay is set to visit Lawrence, KS for the first time as undefeated Kansas hosts undefeated TCU.
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Rapid-fire Facts
Here are the top news headlines of the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Hurricane Ian struck Florida’s gulf coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, with maximum winds of 155 mph, just two mph short of Category 5 strength. Ian made landfall on Wednesday afternoon near Fort Myers and Cape Coral on the island of Cayo Costa, leaving behind devastation in some parts, with extreme damage from heavy winds and torrential rain. Ian made its way through the state, went back out to the Atlantic Ocean, and made a second U.S. landfall in South Carolina on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed four areas of eastern Ukraine. Putin claims that referendums in the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia give him the power to include the areas as part of Russia. However, Ukraine and the west have declared the referendums to be shams and say they will not recognize the annexation. The U.S. has announced new sanctions on Russia, while the European Union is considering additional penalties.
Georgia Meloni is the likely next prime minister of Italy. Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party led a coalition of far-right parties that won the most seats in last Sunday’s parliamentary election. The election results are likely to give Italy its first far-right government since Benito Mussolini was prime minister during World War II. Italy’s president still must choose the individual who will attempt to set up a coalition in parliament, but that is likely to be Meloni.
Brazil is holding the first round of its presidential election today. While many candidates will be on Sunday’s ballot, the top two contenders are incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has served as the right-wing president since 2018, while da Silva served as a leftist president from 2003-2010. da Silva was jailed on corruption and money laundering charges in 2017, was released in 2019 and had his charges nullified in 2021. If no candidate reaches 50% in Sunday’s vote, a runoff will be held on October 30 between the top two candidates.
The FDA has approved a new drug meant to treat ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Relyvrio has been found to extend the lives of people with ALS by nearly five to six months. The drug’s approval was applauded by patients of ALS and advocates, with few alternatives being available on the market. However, the approval of the drug is seen as controversial as only one study of 137 patients was conducted before approval.
Wrapping up the Facts
Be this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on anything Zander’s Facts related: Zander's Facts on Linktree
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That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, October 9, 2022.
