Doctors told Jalen Hurts not to sleep before the Philadelphia Eagles’ Oct. 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Why? Because it was too risky with blood clots already in his leg. Yet, the Eagles still let him hit the field, and now the NFL has to launch a full-blown investigation into what went down. This isn’t just a bad look, folks, it’s a horrific one.
The Alarming Details Emerge From the Week 5 Mess
Can you even believe this? Ahead of that Week 5 clash in London, Hurts was reportedly in the hospital until 4 a.m. because of a leg clot. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports he didn’t sleep because “sleep was a risk.” Tom Pelissero of The Ringer added that by the time he played in London, Hurts had been awake for roughly 36 hours. Thirty-six hours! And the Eagles decided to play him anyway.
The worst part? Pro Football Talk says the league was already in communication with the Eagles about Hurts’ health even before that Week 5 game. So, this wasn’t some sudden, unforeseen issue. This was an ongoing medical concern that somehow, someway, got waved through for a full-contact football game. “Common sense and concern for safety should have taken over at some point,” the reports scream, and it’s hard to argue with that. This just absolutely stinks, and it’s barely scratching the surface.
Lung Clots Shut Down Hurts For the Season, League Investigations Loom
As if playing on no sleep with blood clots wasn’t bad enough, the situation got even scarier. After further evaluation, those clots aren’t just isolated to Hurts’ leg. They’ve been found in his lungs, which is a serious condition that required emergency medical attention. ESPN now reports this means Hurts is expected to be shut down for the rest of the season. Let that sink in: a season-ending injury, potentially made worse by playing when he shouldn’t have.
Now, the NFL *will* conduct an investigation. And they should! They need to figure out who knew what, when they knew it, and what the heck the process was that led to Hurts stepping onto the field against the Jaguars. Was it the Eagles’ medical staff? Coach Nick Sirianni’s decision? The team did say last week that doctors and their medical staff in London cleared him. But if Sirianni didn’t know the seriousness of the issue, that’s a whole other chapter. Maybe Hurts insisted on playing, because that’s how these guys are wired. But sometimes players need to be saved from themselves. Playing through a sprained ankle is totally different from playing through blood clots. This whole ordeal is a horrific look for everyone involved.
The news broke four days after that Jaguars loss that Hurts was ruled out for Week 6 due to a “superficial blood clot” in his calf. That statement seems wildly understated now, doesn’t it? With lung clots and a season over, the initial “superficial” diagnosis feels like a complete deflection. The league has a serious mess on its hands, and everyone’s watching to see just how deep this rabbit hole goes to protect player safety moving forward.
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.
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