NEED TO KNOW
- NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson is apologizing for comments he made regarding Jalen Hurts
- The former 49ers player previously implied that Hurts was using his injury as an excuse to step away from the struggling team
- Hurts will miss the rest of the season after doctors found multiple blood clots in his lungs
NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson is apologizing for comments he made regarding Jalen Hurts in the wake of the quarterback’s season ending due to blood clots.
“I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday,” Robinson, 43, wrote on X on Monday, Oct. 19. “They were unfounded and I never should’ve speculated on a health issue of a player nor his commitment to his team.”
The retired San Francisco 49ers running back also apologized on-air on Monday for the analysis he offered on Thursday, Oct. 15 in which he implied that Hurts was taking himself out of the conversation so that the frustrating season “doesn’t look like it’s on” the former Super Bowl champion.
“I don’t know nothing, guys, but it looked like they were trying to pin the outcome of this season on Jalen Hurts, just so that they can have an excuse later on to move on from Jalen Hurts,” Robinson said last week. “And again, I’m not saying I know nothing, guys, but … if I’m Jalen Hurts or anybody in Jalen Hurts’ camp, I’m saying, ‘Well, if everybody’s hurt, I’m hurt, too.’ ”
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On Monday, Hurts’ agent Nicole Lynn confirmed that what was previously announced as a “superficial blood clot” had turned into a serious health issue.
Credit: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
“After further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is deep vein thrombosis as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli,” Lynn wrote in a statement. “He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations.”
Lynn added that Hurts’ treatment will include taking blood thinners and “he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football.”
Medical staff first determined the quarterback suffered a blood clot before the Eagles’ game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Oct. 11, but Hurts was allowed to play.
The NFL star was also cleared to travel back to Philadelphia with the team on the eight-hour flight.
Days later, the blood clot was observed to have moved from Hurts’ calf, resulting in multiple clots in his lungs.
On Monday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni defended the team’s handling of the serious situation.
“The health of our players is always at the forefront of our minds, and we leave that up to the medical experts, but we always, always care deeply about our players,” Sirianni, 45, said. “When you are completely focused on togetherness and connection, you’re always thinking about the well-being of your guys, and that’s where we were in that situation.”
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