Jalen Hurts’ Blood Clots Moved To His Lungs, and the NFL Still Isn’t Investigating

Jalen Hurts was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot on his calf on October 10th and then played an NFL game in London the very next day, a decision now at the center of a firestorm because that clot moved into his deep veins and both lungs in the days that followed. The Eagles placed Hurts on injured reserve as he undergoes treatment with blood thinners, but the league’s top brass is already vigorously defending the team’s medical staff, even as the NFL Players Association demands a full investigation. This isn’t just a tough injury for a quarterback, it’s raising serious questions about player safety when it comes to medical decisions and the intense pressure of the game.

The League Is Standing Firm on Its ‘Vigilant’ Care

NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills came out swinging Tuesday, insisting, “There is no doctor who is taking orders from a football person, a non-medical person, period.” Sills, alongside NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, strongly defended the Eagles’ handling of Hurts’ blood clots against a wave of criticism suggesting football interests might have overshadowed medical care. Miller flat-out denounced what he called “the unfounded criticism that was leveled against” the team doctors after Hurts’ condition worsened. Sills even added, “I don’t think you can take that outcome and say there was something flawed about the process.” He pointed out that sometimes in medicine, despite doing everything right, diseases can just progress. He actually argued that everyone involved was “incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant and was very quick to make diagnoses of these conditions that might not have been diagnosed in a non-athlete.” He went as far as saying you or I “probably would have walked around a lot longer without a diagnosis.” When asked about an investigation, Miller indicated the league was comfortable with its current understanding after talking to the Eagles staff, people on the ground, and independent doctors.

But The Players’ Association Is Not Buying It

While the NFL brass is busy patting itself on the back, the NFL Players Association dropped a statement Tuesday evening, and they are demanding way more transparency. The union said flat out, “The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigations into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts.” And get this: they said the league “previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received.” Woof. The NFLPA isn’t messing around either. They stated clearly, “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.” It’s a direct challenge to the league’s stance, and it highlights a major conflict over who decides what’s “good enough” when a player’s life could be on the line.

Overseas Games Add a Whole New Layer of Risk

This whole situation also brings up the unique medical challenges that come with playing football overseas. Sills detailed some of the infrastructure the league has in place for treating players abroad, like their medical team taking multiple trips to host markets years in advance to find partner hospitals and local physicians experienced with professional athletes, even conducting emergency trainings. But the stakes of a transatlantic flight with a blood clot? That’s terrifying. Sills mentioned that after games, team physicians absolutely coordinate recovery and injury treatment, including assessing whether players with injury or illness can fly home. He said, “It’s not just sort of, ‘Let’s jump on the plane and we’ll sort this out when we get back home.’” He added, “You’re always thinking about the implications of flights.” Given Hurts’ condition worsened after the London game and the flight, those implications just got a whole lot heavier.

What’s clear is this isn’t over. The NFLPA isn’t going to let this slide, and they are pushing hard for answers. Player safety has to be the number one priority, especially when a player’s health takes such a scary turn. We’ll be watching to see if the league actually takes the players’ demands for an investigation seriously, because the facts here are essential for every single player’s future protection.

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.