10/20/2026 07:37:00
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10/20 19:35 CDT NFL defends Eagles' handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clots while
union calls for an investigation
NFL defends Eagles' handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clots while union calls for
an investigation
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- The NFL staunchly defended the Philadelphia Eagles' handling
of quarterback Jalen Hurts' blood clots on Tuesday, while hours later the
players' union called for an investigation of the situation.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that
the Eagles were not being disciplined for their actions with Hurts. The person
spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because conversations
between the league and team were to remain private.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, offered a passionate defense
of how the Eagles treated Hurts, following a statement from the league that
said officials had been in contact with Philadelphia's medical personnel and
the Cleveland Clinic in London throughout the process.
"I have complete confidence in the Eagles' medical staff and their handling of
this situation, and I would characterize their work as very conservative, very
patient-focused and appropriately guarded at every step," Sills said at the
league's annual fall meeting. "I don't think you can take that outcome and say
there was something flawed about the process. Sometimes in medicine, we do all
the right things and diseases progress and other things develop. ...
"In this case, everyone was incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant and
was very quick to make diagnoses of these conditions that might not have been
diagnosed in a nonathlete."
The NFL Players Association in a statement said it was told by the league that
a review was not planned.
"Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must
be a full investigation into what occurred," the union said. "Determining the
facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and
protection going forward."
Hurts is on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season after a
blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The Eagles and agent Nicole
Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary
embolisms.
NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller took issue with "uninformed
speculation" in reports Monday that Hurts went more than 30 hours without sleep
last weekend before playing.
"Jalen Hurts returned to the hotel, slept for a period of time and went to the
stadium," Miller said, estimating that Hurts slept for around seven or eight
hours. "Both talking to the Eagles' staff and making sure from people on the
ground, tracking the case, talking to the independent hospital and doctors
involved that we have, I think, a complete understanding of the course of
events."
Sills said the league and the players' union study and track blood clots
annually. He declined to go into specifics about Hurts' condition, citing
patient privacy, and reiterated multiple times that treating a blood clot
involves looking at multiple factors.
Dr. Caron Rockman, a vascular surgeon for roughly 30 years, said based on what
she has read, there's no evidence the Eagles acted improperly while dealing
with what she called not a textbook issue.
"It's a judgment call," said Rockman, who is currently a chair at Hackensack
University Medical Center in New Jersey and did not treat Hurts. "I think it's
really a case-by-case basis. In my personal opinion, superficial vein
thrombosis is not a (disqualification) to fly."
Hurts' treatment moving forward involves blood thinners, and he will not be
allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.
Hurts played in London against Jacksonville on Oct. 11, three days after
informing medical staff of the injury after practice. He was initially
diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis.
"I think there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care,
state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London," Sills said. "And, as far as
the timing and the decision-making, I have great confidence in that and believe
that everyone acted with an abundance of caution."
Sills in his opening statement that lasted more than five minutes said all
decisions are made with medicine over football.
"The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would
put a player in harm's way --- that's nonsense," Sills said.
___
AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Phoenix and AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi
in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.
___
See AP's full NFL coverage here
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