Two of the NFL’s top health officials backed the Philadelphia Eagles‘ handling of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots at the league’s fall meeting in New York on Tuesday. By that night, the NFL Players Association had called for a full investigation and raised a problem with the league’s own account of the case.
Specialists in London found a clot in Hurts’ left calf on Oct. 10, which the Eagles first described as a “left calf superficial vein thrombosis.” The team’s medical staff and independent doctors concluded he “could safely play” against the Jacksonville Jaguars the next day, and Hurts played the full game in a 19-17 loss.
A follow-up ultrasound back in Philadelphia on Oct. 14 showed the clot had moved. On Monday, the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, disclosed a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning clots had reached both lungs. Hurts is on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season, though the team said in its joint statement with Lynn that it anticipates “no long-term effects.”
What the NFL said about the Eagles’ doctors
“I don’t think you can take that outcome and say there was something flawed about the process,” NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills told reporters.
Sills described the Eagles’ medical staff as “incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant” and rejected the idea that football people had a hand in the decision. “Any idea or any suggestion that a team physician is ever being influenced by a coach, a general manager, a team owner, it just doesn’t happen,” Sills said.
Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president who oversees player health and safety, called the criticism of the team’s doctors unfounded.
“Conservative steps were taken to ensure Jalen Hurts’ health was always made the first priority and continues to be,” Miller said.
Miller also said the league has “a complete understanding of the course of events,” built from conversations with the Eagles’ staff, the hospital in London and the doctors involved. The NFL declined to discuss the specifics of Hurts’ case, citing medical privacy, and The Athletic reported the league will not punish the Eagles.
What the NFLPA says the league told the union
That understanding came from the same people whose decisions are now being questioned, and the union’s statement, posted to X on Tuesday night, says no review of their work was ever on the table.
https://t.co/wZyVLPcXvD
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) October 21, 2026
“The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. 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,” the NFLPA said.
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