Monday morning, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa underwent hip surgery to repair damage suffered on Saturday against Mississippi State. By all reports, this procedure was a success. Team surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain has since released a statement and revealed that Tagovailoa should make a full recovery.
“Tua underwent successful surgery on his right hip Monday morning in Houston,” Dr. Cain said in a statement. “The procedure went as planned, and he is resting comfortably. Tua’s prognosis is excellent, and we expect him to make a full recovery. He will return to Tuscaloosa in the next several days to begin his rehab.”
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There were concerns following the injury about Tagovailoa no longer being able to play football, much like former Raiders running back Bo Jackson after he suffered a dislocated hip in 1991. However, the Los Angeles Rams team surgeon, Dr. Michael Banffy, explained how these two situations are different.
“What can happen with the dislocation is that blood vessels will either tear or they’ll be placed on stretch for so long that the bone itself will lose its blood supply and that will cause death of the bone,” Banffy said, per AL.com. “If you get it reduced right away, the idea is that will minimize the risk. But this is still something that you have to watch and it might not even present itself for a couple of months, similar to the way it did with Bo Jackson.”
For now, Tagovailoa’s future prospects seem positive, to the point that he could potentially prepare for the NFL Draft. However, the recovery timeline will play a role. Three months is one possibility, but Dr. Banffy believes that six months is more likely. This would mean that Tagovailoa would not be eligible to take part in the physical workouts during the NFL Scouting Combine, provided he skips his senior season at Alabama in pursuit of a pro career.
Still, Dr. Banffy does not believe that suffering this injury would drastically affect Tagovailoa’s prospects. He believes that the Alabama star will still be a first-round pick for a quarterback-needy team.
“I don’t think this will knock him out of the first round, for sure,” Banffy said. “It will probably knock him out of the top five, which is where people were predicting him in but I think that it all depends on how he progressively heals and how he looks at the combine.”
With teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears potentially searching for a new option at quarterback, there will be multiple potential destinations for Tagovailoa. However, he will first have to recover from Monday’s surgery and avoid any setbacks.
(Photo Credit: Todd Kirkland/Getty)
