As details continue to emerge regarding Jalen Hurts' blood clot and the decisions by the Philadelphia Eagles to allow him to play and fly overseas with it, so does scrutiny around those decisions.
Head coach Nick Sirianni faced said scrutiny on Monday in the form of a news conference. He was asked repeatedly about how the Eagles went through their decision process in initially managing Hurts' blood clot in his calf. Hurts has since been diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary emboli, which means that he has blood clots in both lungs.
Sirianni: 'I'm not a medical expert'
Each time he was asked about the topic, Sirianni cited "medical experts" on Philadelphia's staff while declining to divulge details about what conversations were had with whom and how the team's decisions regarding Hurts were made.
"I'm not a medical expert," Sirianni said Monday when asked if the Eagles should have managed Hurts' condition differently. "I lean on our guys in all those situations.
"I'm a football coach. I lean on our medical experts in every situation. I have full trust and full faith in them. It's not just me that has major care for our players. It's them as well."
Sirianni faced this questioning after it was revealed that Hurts' diagnosis had worsened since he played and traveled overseas with the blood clot in his calf.
Jalen Hurts' diagnosis worsened after he played in, flew home from London game
The Eagles announced Monday morning in a joint statement with Hurts' agent Nicole Lynn that Hurts had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. They announced that his "prognosis is very good" and that he's expected to "make a full recovery."
They did not announce a timeline for his return to football, but Hurts will miss the rest of the season, per multiple reports.
News broke later from NFL insider Tom Pelissero, who reported that Hurts had been advised by doctors not to sleep in the 36 hours prior to the game as a medical precaution, and that he acted on that advice. Pelissero's since walked that report back, and, in part due to conflicting reports, it's not clear how much Hurts did or didn't sleep before playing the Jaguars.
But one thing is clear. The Eagles knew about Hurts' blood clot and allowed him to play. They then allowed him to fly home from London to Philadelphia and practice the following Wednesday. They acknowledged as much last week when they issued a statement that an ultrasound revealed the clot on Oct. 10, the Saturday before the Jaguars game.
Only when a followup ultrasound the next week revealed "movement in the small blood clot" did the Eagles announce Hurts' condition and rule him out for Week 6 against the Panthers.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 15, 2026
Sirianni's responses provide little clarity
Sirianni was pressed on Monday regarding why the Eagles allowed Hurts to fly from London to Philadelphia when they knew he had a blood clot.
"Again, I'm not a medical expert," Sirianni said. "The same deal there. We get medical information from our guys. We always put the players' health first and foremost in every situation. And that's where we were there."
Pressed on the topic, Sirianni again cited medical experts.
"Guys, I've addressed this," Sirianni continued. "I've talked to you guys about this. Again, the medical experts are there. And I think I've answered this question multiple times. We've put out a statement for you guys to hear."
Siranni was then asked who was involved in the decisions about managing Hurts' health. His response did not provide an answer.
"I understand that you want the information on this," he continued. "I fully trust the people involved in helping us all make these decisions. And we have great people here. …
"That again goes down to our connection and our team. It kind of feels like you're questioning that. I know you guys have a job to do. I've got the relationship with the players that I have because of the time that we spend together and because of the care that we have for each other."
Hurts has not addressed the subject since Monday’s announcement about his worsening medical condition.