Tua Tagovailoa travels home with Dolphins after suffering head, neck injuries vs. Bengals

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was released from hospital and travelled home with the team after leaving Thursday's loss to the Bengals on a stretcher with head and neck injuries.

According to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques, Tagovailoa was said to be "in 'good spirits' upon returning to his home in South Florida on Friday."

Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals tackle Josh Tupou mid-way through the second quarter of Thursday's game. After being spun around and thrown hard to the turf, Tagovailoa's hands froze in front of his face.

He remained on the field for several minutes before he was removed from the game on a stretcher and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The Dolphins later said Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities.

"I could tell it wasn't the same guy that I was used to seeing," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. "It was a scary moment."

The incident came only four days after Tagovailoa was briefly removed from a game against the Bills with what the team initially called a head injury, but later said was an injury to his back. On that play, Tagovailoa looked visibly dizzy and was unable to stand, but he only missed three snaps and returned after halftime.

The decision to return him to the Bills game led the NFL and NFLPA to open an investigation into the handling of concussion protocols by the Dolphins. The investigation is ongoing and will carry larger weight after the injury in the Bengals game.

After Tagovailoa's injury Thursday, the NFLPA tweeted: "Player health and safety is at the core of the union's mission. Our concern tonight is for Tua and we hope for a full and speedy recovery. Our investigation into the potential protocol violation is ongoing."

With files from The Associated Press.