Friday, September 30, 2022

Unlike Tua Tagovailoa, the Heat Protocol’s waiting game lasted for months last season – The Mercury News

In a less violent sport, the Miami Heat waited last season in terms of months for the type of comeback that quarterback Tua Tagoviloa made this week for the Miami Dolphins.

And while the blow to striker Markiv Morris differed from what Dolphin described as a back injury to Tagovailoa on Sunday, the NBA still sidelined Morris for four months last season before returning in March, out of extreme caution over a neck injury. Tagoviloa returned to the field for a road loss Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he suffered what were said to be neck and head injuries that left him in the hospital.

Morris pushed multiple times last season to return before his official NBA clearance, at one point training with former NBA players at a South Florida gym while still being banned by the NBA from training in the Heat’s facilities.

Unlike Tagoviloa and his blistering kicks Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and then Thursday against the Bengals, Morris’ injury did not occur during play, but rather from being pushed from behind during a November skirmish with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Both players were sanctioned by the NBA for this incident.

In order to return last season, Morris had to obtain clearance from the fitness board to play in the NBA. This committee consists of an NBA physician, a physician representing the National Basketball Players Association, and an independent physician.

The NBA was particularly concerned because Morris sustained a neck injury in 2019 while playing for the Washington Wizards.

The Heat had been hoping to get Morris back sooner than his return in March, with coach Eric Spoelstra at the time describing the protocols as an “arduous process”.

“It took longer than everyone expected,” Spoilstra said at the time. “But these are things that you can’t necessarily control.”

Amid his absence, Morris was alarmed by those who questioned the severity of his injury, noting on Twitter to Jokic, “It’s a real injury! Imagine a 300-pound fat, filthy boy running at full speed and making direct contact with your spine!”

The Heat have erred on the side of caution several times with dangerous situations with players over the course of 35 seasons, including kidney disease Alonzo Morning and Chris Bosh’s blood clots.

Morris left the Heat on free agency off-season for the Brooklyn Nets, signing a one-year, unsecured contract for the veteran’s minimum. He appeared in 17 regular season games and one playoff during his only season with the Heat.

Jokic went on to be named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season.

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from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/unlike-tua-tagovailoa-the-heat-protocols-waiting-game-lasted-for-months-last-season-the-mercury-news/

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