The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t getting disciplined by the NFL for their handling of Jalen Hurts’ injury reporting and the medical process behind his blood clot diagnosis. That’s the word after the league finished its investigation, even though the NFLPA is straight-up calling for a “full investigation” of their own. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even said on Wednesday the league welcomes that investigation into Hurts’ situation, but the league’s own probe is done and dusted with no action taken against the Eagles.
The London Flight and the Hidden Danger
This whole wild ride started when Hurts popped up on Philadelphia’s Week 5 injury report on Friday with what they called a calf injury. Crazy thing is, he was a full participant in practice that day and went on to play the entire game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. The club had announced on October 15 that Hurts initially injured his calf taking a cleat to the area during their Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. But here’s where it gets wild: the day before that Jaguars game, after their flight to London and a team walkthrough, Hurts had an ultrasound. That’s when doctors found a superficial blood clot in his calf.
According to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, NFL chief medical doctor Allen Sills got Mark Gillett, the chief medical officer of the Premier League, to arrange for Hurts to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic in London on Saturday night after a team walkthrough. That’s where the superficial blood clot was first discovered. The source says that the team, staff, doctors, and Hurts all made the call for him to play the very next day against the Jaguars. You read that right.
From Calf to Lungs: A Season Cut Short
The situation escalated fast. A follow-up ultrasound last Wednesday delivered some gut-wrenching news: the blood clot in Hurts’ calf had actually moved. Immediately, Hurts was held out of Philadelphia’s game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Then, on Monday, a joint statement dropped from the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn. The brutal truth? Hurts is likely going to miss the rest of the season after more tests showed he had blood clots in his lungs. Can you believe it? The statement does add that Hurts is expected to make a full recovery and get back to his NFL career once he’s off blood thinners, which is at least a silver lining.
This is a massive blow, marking the first time since he entered the NFL that Hurts will miss more than two games. He played in 15 games as a rookie back in 2020 and started at least 15 games every single season from 2021 to ’25. Filling in at quarterback, Tanner McKee, who already got the starting nod against the Panthers, will remain the No. 1 guy this Sunday when the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys.
So, while the NFL has waved its hands and walked away, the NFLPA is still pushing for answers on how this whole thing went down. Meanwhile, Tanner McKee has the keys to the offense this weekend against the Cowboys. It’s a rough road ahead for the Eagles without Hurts, but everyone is pulling for a full and healthy return when he’s ready to roll again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply