The NFL has confirmed it is working with the players’ association to investigate the controversial circumstances surrounding Jalen Hurts’ season-ending blood clot issue.
Hurts was found to have multiple blood clots in his lungs last week, ruling him out for the rest of the year and throwing considerable doubt over the Eagles’ quarterback’s entire career.
While that is scary enough, it is the full story which has demanded further explanation, with the $255m QB being allowed to play in the Philadelphia Eagles’ game against the Jaguars in London.
According to reports, Hurts took to the field having barely slept after staying in the hospital until 4am the night before the game.
He ‘was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis’ but that ‘after further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli.’
He was allowed to fly back to America despite the blood clot diagnosis, with one medical expert telling the Daily Mail that the decision was ‘reckless on a catastrophic level.’
Jalen Hurts was diagnosed with blood clots after taking a cleat to his calf against the Rams
Multiple blood clots were discovered in the lungs of the Eagles’ superstar quarterback
The NFLPA called for a ‘full investigation’ into Hurts’ medical situation earlier this week, and on Sunday the NFL confirmed the two organizations are working together to get to the bottom of the saga.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the league said: ‘The NFL and NFL Players Association are working together to review the matter.’
News of Hurts’ diagnosis sparked furious criticism of the Eagles medical team, with one expert telling the Daily Mail: ‘The fact they let him play in the game is the craziest decision that I can fathom… there has to be a fall guy, probably, multiple fall guys.’
But top NFL officials have hit out at the ‘nonsense’ around Hurts’ injury, claiming ‘considerable and uninformed speculation’ was spread about the case.
‘The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way – that’s nonsense,’ the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Allen Sills said.
Hurts threw for over 200 yards against the Jaguars in London despite the blood clot diagnosis
‘[Everyone] acted at every moment with the patient’s best interests at heart, regardless of their identity. That’s really the most important thing.’
He added: ‘I have complete confidence in the Eagles’ medical staff and their handling of this situation, and I would characterize their work as very conservative, very patient-focused and appropriately guarded at every step,’ Sills said at the league’s annual fall meeting.
‘I don’t think you can take that outcome and say there was something flawed about the process. Sometimes in medicine, we do all the right things and diseases progress and other things develop.’
He added: ‘In this case, everyone was incredibly conservative and incredibly vigilant and was very quick to make diagnoses of these conditions that might not have been diagnosed in a nonathlete… there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London.
