Former WWE Superstar and founding CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation Christopher Nowinski took to Twitter today to thank pro wrestling bosses for inviting him to speak to their rosters about concussions.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is currently trending on Twitter after suffering head and neck injuries on a second-quarter sack in Thursday’s NFL game between the Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa was taken to the hospital and wore a neck brace as a precaution, but flew back to Florida with the team, and is said to be in “good spirits” at last word. The moment on the field was a scary one as Tagovailoa hit the back of his head on the ground after being sacked by Bengals nose tackle Josh Tupou, and his upper arms appeared to seize up almost immediately. He remained on the field for around 10 minutes before he was stretchered to the back. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa called for him when he went down. McDaniel later said Tagovailoa was evaluated for a concussion, and is currently in the concussion protocol.
Nowinski responded to a tweet from AEW’s Dr. Michael Sampson, and commented on the Tagovailoa incident. Sampson revealed that Nowinski was at AEW Dynamite this week to give a concussion presentation to the roster.
“Thx to @ChrisNowinski1 founder of @ConcussionLF for presenting to @AEW talent on the most recent information on #concussions, #CTE and ways to prevent or avoid sustaining one. Always cutting edge science. #saveyourbrain,” Sampson wrote with a photo of Nowinski speaking to AEW talents.
Nowsinski responded to Sampson’s tweets and said he appreciates AEW President Tony Khan, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H, and NWA President Billy Corgan for letting him speak to their crews.
“In light of the Tua disaster last night, I appreciate more than ever @AEW @TonyKhan, @WWE @TripleH, & @nwa @Billy all inviting me to come teach their talent abt #concussions & the risks of getting in the ring before you’ve recovered. Protecting athletes begins with educating them,” Nowinski wrote.
Nowinski left WWE in June 2003 due to issues he was dealing with from post-concussion syndrome. He suffered an incident in the 2003 Royal Rumble Match when taking a mistimed double dropkick from Rey Mysterio and WWE Hall of Famer Edge. The mistimed execution caused Edge to land on Nowinski’s head, and that led to his career ending.
Nowinski, who co-founded CLF in 2007 and has worked with WWE for years on their concussion protocol, pulled no punches with the NFL this week. He first gave warning before Thursdays Dolphins vs. Bengals game.
“If Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL. If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included. We all saw it, even they must know this isn’t right,” he wrote.
Nowinski later posted a follow-up, “I take no pleasure in being right. Pray for Tua. We saw this coming. Get angry. Get involved with @ConcussionLF to make sure the @NFL can’t do this again.”
Nowinski later posted a clip of the incident and wrote, “This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staffs and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022.”
Khan, Triple H and Corgan have not publicly responded to Nowinski’s tweet as of this writing.
Below are Nowinski’s related tweets:
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