Miami Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was ruled out of Sunday’s game in the first quarter against the NY Jets on Sunday. Bridgewater left with an elbow injury, and was evaluated for a head injury. Miami said during the game that Bridgewater wouldn’t return due to the concussion protocol.
While Bridgewater passed the tests administered by doctors, due to the new concussion protocols agreed to on Saturday and what the ATC spotter saw, Bridgewater was ruled out. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel confirmed to reporters after the game the nature of Bridgewater’s removal, saying that the QB showed no concussion symptoms and passed the necessary tests.
On Saturday, the NFL just added ataxia to the “no-go” list on concussion protocols; in a joint statement, the NFL and NFLPA said ataxia “is defined as abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.” Bridgewater is the first player to be removed from play under the new NFL-NFLPA protocols. He will now be placed into concussion protocol and go through all of its steps, including being cleared by an independent neurologist, before being allowed to play again.
In the Dolphins 40-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday, Bridgewater played just one snap. The veteran QB was hit by Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in the end zone while attempting a pass, landing hard on his left elbow. He was called for intentional grounding, resulting in a safety. Third-string rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson came in at QB to replace Bridgewater, who was starting his first game of the season in place of starter Tua Tagovailoa, who was ruled out versus New York after suffering a concussion during the Dolphins’ Week 4 loss to the Bengals.
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