NFL officials staunchly defended the medical process involving Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and his blood clot issue at the owners meetings in New York on Tuesday. NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills was blunt in a news conference, saying the notion that external factors led physicians to put a player in harm's way is "nonsense." The NFL is not punishing the Eagles for how Hurts was handled.
Hurts was cleared to play before Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after he was initially diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his calf. Days after the game, doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs. Hurts, 28, is expected to miss the rest of the season and will undergo blood-thinner treatment that is expected to sideline the three-time Pro Bowler for around three months. Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, and the Eagles said in a statement that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot traveled from his legs to his lungs.
NFL officials confirmed they had been in contact with Eagles medical personnel and Cleveland Clinic London throughout Hurts' treatment. Sills called the Eagles' approach "very conservative, very patient-focused and appropriately guarded in every step." Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety, called speculation about why Hurts was allowed to play "considerable and uninformed" and "unfounded." The NFL declined to discuss specifics of the case, citing medical privacy.
Sills, a team physician for three decades, said he has "tremendous confidence" in the Eagles' medical staff and stressed that doctors are not influenced by football personnel. He criticized doctors who speculate online about what should have been done without full data, calling it "unprofessional and unethical." Sills also said the NFL has tracked blood clot cases every season for the last decade and shares that data with the NFLPA, adding that the threshold for flying with superficial clots depends on the nuances of each situation.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing