Why NFL won't be punishing Eagles for approach to Jalen Hurts blood clot situation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The court of public opinion has ruled against the Eagles, who have drawn backlash for their handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis, but the NFL isn't following suit.
The league will not punish for the Eagles for their response to Hurts' blood clot situation, The Athletic reported, despite some confusion about why the quarterback was allowed to play against the Jaguars after doctors found a superficial blood clot in his calf.
After missing Sunday's game against the Panthers, Hurts was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs, ending his season.
Here's a closer look at the NFL's decision and how the Eagles have responded to questions.
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Why NFL won't punish Eagles
The NFL determined the situation was "handled appropriately by the Eagles," both in terms of the decision to allow Hurts to play and the team's handling of the injury report before the game against the Jaguars.
One report after Hurts was ruled out for the season claimed he stayed awake for 36 hours before playing in London as a result of the blood clot diagnosis in his calf, which led to criticism of the Eagles, but The Athletic reports that was inaccurate.
Hurts, instead, stayed awake along with the rest of the Eagles to keep their body clocks where they were in the United States, and Hurts' visit for treatment at the hospital then kept him awake even longer. Hurts did, however, sleep before the game and was not told to stay awake as a result of the diagnosis, The Athletic says.
On Tuesday, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said there was "considerable and uninformed speculation yesterday in the reporting" about the Eagles' treatment of Hurts.
NFL chief medical officer Alan Sills forcefully defended the Eagles' handling of the situation as well:
NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills gave a nearly 5-minute defense of the league and Eagles protocol in treating Jalen Hurts’ blood clots. Called some reports “nonsense” and insisted that no doctors are taking orders from football coaches or management when treating patients. https://t.co/LvmzoYvPYy
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 20, 2026
Because that was cleared up, the NFL found no violation, nor did the league find that the Eagles violated injury report rules. Hurts was listed on the injury report with a calf injury two days before the game against the Jaguars but wasn't given a game designation because he was expected to play without limitations. Hurts did play the full game, and the league determined that nothing additional was necessary.
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What did Eagles say about Jalen Hurts blood clot situation?
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni faced reporters Monday after Hurts was ruled out for the season, with conflicting reports surfacing about the team's handling of the situation.
"The health of our players is always at the forefront of our mind," Sirianni said, defending the team's medical staff. "The same doctors and trainers that helped 21 of our 22 starters be available in the Super Bowl are the same guys today that deeply care about our guys, to help them."
While some wanted GM Howie Roseman or even a representative of the team's medical staff to answer questions as well, the Eagles' account of the situation seems to be in line with how the NFL views it.
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