Miami receiver Grant DuBose was taken to the hospital in stable condition and was being further evaluated after he was removed from the field on a stretcher following a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
“There’s been some positive feedback related to some head and neck imaging,” said coach Mike McDaniel. “He will stay here overnight, and we’ll find out more by (Monday).”
DuBose tried to catch the ball in the third quarter but was struck in the head by rookie Calen Bullock before his head slammed into the ground. After the hit, DuBose appeared to make movements with both fists, known as the “fencing response,” which is often seen after a brain injury. He then stayed still while medical staff rushed to his side.
“Very tough to have seen live,” said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. “I’m my toughest critic when it comes to ball placement, when it comes to knowing where to go with the ball and all that. I just feel bad that I even put him in that situation to have gotten hit. It was tough to move on after that happened.”
Bullock was flagged for unnecessary roughness for hitting a defenseless receiver.
“I was praying that he would be OK,” said Bullock. “I wasn’t trying to go out there and hurt nobody.”
DuBose was attended to on the field for over 10 minutes. His jersey was cut off, and a neck brace was placed on him while both teams watched in concern.
At one point, the Dolphins moved away from DuBose and formed a circle, kneeling and appearing to pray. McDaniel and Houston coach DeMeco Ryans shared a moment of support as DuBose was still on the field.
DuBose was then placed on a spine board, with his arms and legs strapped down, and taken off the field. He had a tube in his mouth, and no movement was seen as he was carried away.
Tagovailoa, who has had multiple concussions in his career, including one that required a stretcher in 2022, expressed his sadness at seeing his teammate injured.
“We all know that I’ve gone through something similar, and that’s no fun,” said Tagovailoa. “You never want to be put in any of those situations, but you also understand that this is a physical sport. It’s a contact sport. Again, I just think of what I could have done to not put Grant in that situation.”
Ryans said it was hard for both teams to continue after seeing the injury.
“When you see a guy down on the field like that, it’s very hard to see, and we’re just praying that all is well with him and that he recovers as quickly as possible,” said Ryans.
McDaniel agreed, stating that it was hard to refocus on the game after such a traumatic event.
“There’s nothing that I can say or anything,” McDaniel said. “You have a lot of prideful guys that are trying to go back to work, and I think that (they’re) motivated by knowing Grant and how he’d want us to finish the game. It’s unfortunately something you have to go through once in a while in the game. It’s not easy.”
DuBose, a seventh-round pick last season, had just returned to action after injuring his shoulder earlier in the season.
This was the second straight Texans game where an opposing player suffered a head injury from an illegal hit. On Dec. 1, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair hit quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the head while Lawrence was sliding, giving him a concussion. Al-Shaair was ejected for the hit and later suspended for three games after his appeal was denied.
