Miami’s Quarterback Lost A Molar Due To This Illegal Helmet-To-Helmet Hit

We always hear about eliminating helmet-to-helmet hits in football because they cause head injuries. However, Saturday night’s Miami vs. Florida State game showed us a different injury that can happen if a hit like this happens: a player’s dang tooth can fall out.

Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya dropped back to pass against the Seminoles, and right as he released the ball, he got hit in the head by the helmet of Florida State linebacker Matthew Thomas. It was an illegal play, and Thomas was kicked out of the game due to the penalty, but later we learned that the hit caused Kaaya to lose a tooth.

The craziest thing is that this wasn’t a tooth from the front of his mouth. Rather, it was a molar, so he got hit so hard that a strong tooth in the back of his mouth fell out and hit the ground. Somehow, Kaaya wasn’t sidelined for the rest of the game due to this hit. Helmet-to-helmet strikes are bad enough, but one with enough force to knock a tooth out must have been extra fierce.

Credit to Kaaya for toughing it out even though he got a tooth yanked against his wishes. His reward, as anyone who has ever gotten a tooth pulled will tell you, is going to be a big ol’ plate of mashed potatoes.