NFLPA Calls For Investigation as NFL Finds No Issue With Hurts Blood Clot Handling
Jalen Hurts looks for a receiver. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Tensions surrounding the Eagles franchise quarterback rose on Tuesday amid questions about the Eagles’ handling of Jalen Hurts’ blood clot diagnosis that has since landed him on injured reserve.
Tuesday afternoon, The Athletic reported that the Eagles would not face any discipline for their handling of the situation. A report by the outlet, citing an NFL source, noted that the league found that the Eagles handled the situation appropriately. The team would also not face any discipline for not giving Hurts an injury designation before the Jaguars game.
Alan Sills, M.D., the NFL’s chief medical officer, defended the team on Tuesday.
“There was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London,” Sills said in a press conference, “and as far as the timing and the decision-making, I’ll just reference back to what I said before that I have great confidence in that, and believe that everyone acted with an abundance of caution and with a tremendous — what we call high degree of suspicion to try to identify and take care of these things as quickly as possible.”
The NFL Players Association, the union representing NFL players, challenged the assertion that an investigation was even performed.
“The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts,” the union said in a statement posted to its social media accounts Tuesday night. “In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received. Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward.”
Sills vehemently denied that any team doctor would be influenced by a football operations staff member, including the head coach, calling the notion “nonsense” when asked today.
“Our first obligation as team physicians is always, and evermore will be, to the patient; to do the right thing. Why? Because that’s what we’re licensed to do,” Sills said. “That’s our standard of care. That’s the standard we’re held to. That’s the standard we’re licensed to. That’s the oath that we’ve pledged, and that’s what happens.”
Sills also mentioned that this situation isn’t uncommon and that the league already addresses this with the NFLPA.
“Every year we have a handful of cases that involve clotting disorders in players,” Sills explained. “So this isn’t really a new situation, but it’s something we examine, we track, we look at the patterns, and look for any learnings that we can again then share. So I would just say it’s not a novel situation, and it’s something that we and the NFL Players Association and their medical advisors evaluate every year.”
According to the timeline released by the Eagles, Hurts initially reported the calf issue on Thursday and indicated that he was cleated during the team’s week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. An ultrasound performed on Saturday in London revealed the clot, but Hurts was cleared to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars at that time. Movement in the clot was not discovered until Wednesday following the game, at which point Hurts was ruled out. The team said that they were in constant communication with the league office during this time.
An initial report from a national reporter that Hurts didn’t get any sleep before the game was debunked by Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, and the reporter has since retracted the report. Hurts reportedly got sleep from 2:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and got an additional nap in at the stadium.
Still, questions remain as to the medical staff’s handling. The medical staff, which reports to Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman and not to Head Coach Nick Sirianni, has made no comments on the record. This led to a tense interaction between Sirianni and the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Jeff McLane on Monday when McLane pressed for who authorized Hurts to fly home after the blood clot diagnosis.
“We get medical information from our guys, and we always put the players’ health first and foremost in every situation,” Sirianni reiterated before the moment got heated, “and that’s where we were there.” When McLane tried to get additional information about whether Sirianni was briefed by the medical team, Sirianni declined further comment on protocols and referred to the statement.
McLane later defended the line of questioning as matters pertaining to procedure.
“When [former head coach Andy] Reid left, the Eagles essentially decided they would keep most injury information private outside of NFL-sanctioned practice and status reports,” McLane posted. “Most of the questions about Jalen Hurts and his blood clot(s) that were directed at Nick Sirianni on Monday, however, were about procedure (should he have played? traveled? flown?). Sirianni deferred to the team’s medical staff.”
Hurts will be put on anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners, to treat his clotting issue. He is expected to miss at least three months and will likely not return this season, though the Eagles and Lynn both indicated in a statement that he is expected to make a full recovery. Hurts will still condition with the team and can participate in non-contact activities, but may not participate in contact football activities while on blood thinners.
