After losing star quarterback Jalen Hurts to a medical condition expected to sideline him for the rest of the 2026 season, the Philadelphia Eagles have found themselves dealing with another controversy. It’s about how the team handled his injury and the backlash that followed.
The controversy began when Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported that Hurts had been awake for “roughly 36 hours” after doctors diagnosed him with a superficial blood clot before his Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
The report sparked backlash, with many accusing the Eagles of downplaying the severity of Hurts’ condition, which is expected to end his season.
Tom Pelissero Faces Backlash After Clarifying Jalen Hurts’ Sleep Timeline
Pelissero’s initial report framed Hurts’ decision to play as a show of commitment. However, after critics questioned whether the situation should be celebrated, the insider clarified that Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, later told him that the quarterback slept after returning to the team from the hospital.
The Eagles had apparently arranged a room for Hurts at the stadium before kickoff. The clarification only fueled further criticism, with some fans accusing Pelissero of misleading them.
One fan reacted to the updated account, writing, “So you clickbaited us.”
Another questioned the change in Pelissero’s report, saying, “In other words, your original post made the Eagles look bad, and they made you retract your statement. It’s pathetic what y’all are doing.”
Fans also questioned why the original report wasn’t verified before publication.
One X user challenged Pelissero’s reporting process, writing, “So you’re a ‘reporter’ who made this serious, serious claim (wrapped in a tone-deaf message about commitment) without even talking to the player’s agent first and got major info wrong? Or you got the call from Eagles PR and gotta run cover. Either way, not a great look, man!”
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The timing of Pelissero’s clarification also raised eyebrows, as it came just minutes before Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was scheduled to address reporters. Some fans suspected the update was an attempt to get ahead of questions about how the team handled Hurts’ injury.
One X user wrote, “Oh, minutes before Nick’s presser. Very, very convenient. How much did the PR team pay you to tweet this out prior?”
Another questioned which version of the report should be trusted, remarking, “Either you were spewing BS earlier, or the Eagles are now paying you for damage control. Which is it?”
Former longtime Eagles beat reporter Les Bowen suggested the original account may have come from a source trying to portray Hurts as exceptionally tough, writing, “Here’s the thing: Tom is a good reporter. He certainly didn’t make up his original report. Somebody wanted that “Jalen stayed awake for 36 hours before playing” story out there, for some reason. It wouldn’t have been the Eagles; it made them look terrible. So, who? And why?”
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Another fan remained unconvinced by the clarification, writing, “Damage control, nice. He slept for maybe a couple of hours, then played a game. Yup, that’s a lot better!”
Further testing revealed that Hurts had deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning blood clots in both lungs. The diagnosis is expected to end his 2026 season. His treatment requires blood thinners, which will prevent him from playing contact sports.
Hurts is reportedly clinically stable, and his representatives expect him to make a full recovery. However, questions about how the Eagles handled his injury and whether he should have played in Week 5 are likely to rage on for some time.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.