The NFL Players Association issued a statement Tuesday night calling for a "full investigation" into the medical care provided to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. The union was responding to recent comments from NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills and reports that the league will not punish the Eagles for how they handled Hurts being cleared to play Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The NFLPA said it was not aware of any league investigation into Hurts' care, adding that the NFL had previously told the union it did not plan to review the treatment he received. "Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred," the statement read.
Hurts, 28, is expected to miss the rest of the season after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter. NFL officials strongly defended the process. Sills said the notion that physicians would put a player in harm's way was "nonsense," and called the Eagles' treatment "very conservative, very patient-focused and appropriately guarded." Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president overseeing player health and safety, described speculation about the team's decisions as "considerable and uninformed."
An ultrasound in London on Oct. 10 revealed a superficial blood clot. The Eagles said their medical staff and London-based doctors concluded that Hurts could safely play against the Jaguars. A follow-up ultrasound after the team returned to Philadelphia showed movement in the clot, and Hurts was ruled out for the game against the Carolina Panthers. The current diagnosis was deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.
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. Coach Nick Sirianni did not explain in detail why Hurts was allowed to play in London but maintained that "the health of our players" remained the top priority.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing