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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.

Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.

The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.

“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”

Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.

“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”

Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.

“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”

Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.

When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.

McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.

Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.

Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.

Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.

Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.

Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.

“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”

Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.

He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.

The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.

Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.

His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.

“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”

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AP NFL:

TORSBY, Sweden (AP) — David Beckham and former England coach Roy Hodgson were among the soccer dignitaries who attended the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday in the Swedish manager’s small hometown of Torsby.

Eriksson’s wooden coffin was covered in white flowers and surrounded by six tall candles and other floral wreaths as the ceremony began inside the 600-seat Fryksande church.

“It is a day of grief but also a day of thankfulness,” the priest, Ingela Älvskog, told those in attendance.

Beckham, who arrived by private jet on Thursday, greeted Eriksson’s 95-year-old father Sven and other family members with hugs inside the church before the funeral started.

Eriksson became England’s first foreign-born coach when he led the national team from 2001-06, and made Beckham his captain.

Eriksson, who also won trophies at club level in Italy, Portugal and Sweden, died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.

Some 200 seats in the neo-Gothic church from 1898 were reserved for his family, friends and players from his career in the football world, according to his agent. The remaining seats were open for the public, according to Eriksson’s wish, with a big screen set up outside the church where hundreds more gathered to watch the ceremony. The funeral was also broadcast live on some Swedish media websites.

The wooden coffin was wheeled in by pallbearers at the church Friday morning as fog wrapped Torsby — a town of about 4,000 people located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm. Next to the casket was a photo of Eriksson on a small table. The floral wreaths included ones sent by FIFA and Lazio, the Italian team that Eriksson led to the Serie A title in 2000.

The ceremony began with somber piano and organ music, but later took on a more upbeat note with Swedish singer Charlotta Birgersson performing Elton John’s song “Candle In The Wind” and then “My Way” in a duet with Johan Birgersson, who later intoned the popular Italian song “Volare” after the family had gathered around the casket to lay flowers.

Beckham also visited Eriksson in Sweden in June to say goodbye. Others attending the funeral included the Swedish coach’s longtime partner Nancy Dell’Olio. Eriksson’s agent had said that guests from England, Italy and Spain were expected.

After the funeral, the casket was carried out of the church by eight men to the hearse. The guests then walked in a procession accompanying the coffin to a nearby museum where speeches and eulogies to the coach fondly known as “Svennis” were planned on an outdoor stage. A brass band played during the procession through Torsby, including the tune “You never walk alone” from the musical “Carousel” which has become the anthem of Liverpool, the club Eriksson supported since childhood.

The local soccer club Torsby IF, where Eriksson started his career in the 1960s, wrote on its webpage that “you also showed your greatness by always being yourself, the caring Svennis who talked to everyone and took the time, for big and small, asking how things were and how the football was going. We will miss you.”

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AP soccer:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps aren’t taking anything for granted as they prepare for their next matchup.

Sure, the ‘Caps (12-8-6) come in undefeated in their last three games across all competitions (2-0-1). And yes, on Saturday they’ll host the San Jose Earthquakes (5-20-2), a team that lingers at the bottom of the Major League Soccer standings.

Vancouver knows, though, that heading in with an air of overconfidence could spell disaster.

“We’ve got to treat it like any other game,” said Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld. “They’re at the bottom, but they’ve still got a lot of good players that can hurt us if we’re not at our best.”

San Jose heads into the matchup with everything to play for — a loss would officially eliminate the club from playoff contention.

The Earthquakes also performed well in the Leagues Cup last month, then burst out of the break with a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake, who sit third in the Western Conference, noted ‘Caps head coach Vanni Sartini.

“If you look at the standings, someone can say that (Saturday) is an easy game. But it’s not an easy game,” he said. “We need to play a very good game.”

Vancouver is coming off a 0-0 draw against Dallas FC last week. While the team didn’t collect all three points, the Whitecaps played well, said midfielder Alessandro Schopf.

“The only thing I think we need to change is scoring goals. That’s the only point we only didn’t do well in the last game,” he said. “The rest of it was very good, I think.

“Of course, now San Jose is not going to be easy. Everyone thinks it’s going to be 3-0, 4-0. But it’s not going to be like this. Every game in the MLS is a tough game, it’s a close game. And hopefully we do a good job as we did the last game and score on our chances. Then we will win the game.”

After missing more than half a dozen players last week, several regulars are expected to return to Vancouver’s lineup.

Six players are back in the city after spending time with their national teams, including Canadian defender Sam Adekugbe and midfielder Ali Ahmed. Gauld is also back after playing for Scotland, while striker Fafa Picault (Haiti), and midfielders Andres Cubas (Paraguay) and Pedro Vite (Ecuador) have also returned.

The team’s latest addition could also play a bigger role come Saturday.

Midfielder Stuart Armstrong saw six minutes of action against Dallas and has been training with his new teammates all week.

The 32-year-old Scotsman is still working his way to full fitness, but has already impressed Sartini with his demeanour on the field.

“The calm, how he’s collected on the ball under pressure — he can make the right decision and make the right pass,” the coach said. “So that’s the first thing that you really appreciate seeing him working.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (5-20-2) at VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (12-8-6)

Saturday, B.C. Place

INS AND OUTS: Vancouver will miss the services of American striker Brian White, who is in concussion protocol. The club has also listed Cubas (shoulder) and backup goalkeeper Joe Benedik (lower back) as questionable for Saturday’s game. San Jose defender Carlos Gruezo won’t be available as he serves a suspension.

HISTORY BOOKS: Saturday’s matchup could be a tiebreaker in MLS matchups between the two clubs, which each go in with an 11-11-12 all-time record. The ‘Caps won the last battle, blanking the Earthquakes 2-0 in California on March 9.

KEEP IT CLEAN: The Whitecaps have blanked their opponent in three straight games across all competitions and are riding a 303-minute shutout streak heading into Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.