October 21, 2026
Kirby Lee/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jalen Hurts completed two long flights and played in a football game after being diagnosed with blood clots in his leg.
During the Philadelphia Eagles' trip to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 5, Jalen Hurts completed an intercontinental flight with a blood clot in his leg. He stayed overnight in a hospital the night before the game and got irregular sleep in between his early morning discharge from the hospital and kickoff. He then played in the game with the blood clot, and then took another long flight home. Those are basic facts that everyone can agree on.
On Monday morning, the Eagles and Nicole Lynn, the agent for Hurts, issued a joint statement that Hurts has been diagnosed with "deep vein thrombosis," or "DVT," as well as "bilateral pulmonary emboli," AKA blood clots in both lungs. Obviously, that is a very serious medical condition.
Later that day, Nick Sirianni held his usual virtual Monday press conference and declined to answer questions substantively about whether Hurts should have flown or played in the game, instead repeating that he is not a medical expert and that the team cares a lot about its players. The team did not make anyone available from the medical staff, or someone else more qualified than Sirianni to answer such questions, like GM Howie Roseman, who oversees the team's medical department.
On Tuesday evening, Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reported via an anonymous source that the NFL concluded that the process for clearing Hurts to play in the game “was handled appropriately," and that "the NFL will not punish the Eagles for their handling of the medical process or for Hurts not being given an injury designation before the game."
The NFL Players Association then promptly released a statement thereafter calling for a "full investigation into what occurred."
— 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 Eagles and the NFL are clearly hoping this situation fades into the ether while having to reveal as little information as possible. It is also very clear that questions about the Eagles' handling of Hurts are not going away.
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