NFL Chief Medical Officer Fires Back At Critics Over Jalen Hurts Medical Controversy
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
On Tuesday, the NFL determined that the Eagles handled quarterback Jalen Hurts’ medical clearance appropriately. In conclusion, they did not issue any punishment to the organization.
Before that decision, Nick Sirianni had to fire back at reporters over the obvious questions surrounding the reported horrific nature of Hurts’ situation.
Hurts played in the Oct. 11 loss to the Jaguars in London. That was done without an injury designation despite the reveal of a blood clot in his left calf. The quarterback has since landed on injured reserve and reportedly will be sidelined at least three months after further testing revealed blood clots in his lungs.
Just because the league deemed them not to be in the wrong doesn’t mean the situation is over.
NFL Doctor Slams Critics Over Jalen Hurts Blood Clot Handling
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, offered a passionate defense of the Eagles. The Eagles are not being disciplined for how they handled quarterback Jalen Hurts’ blood clots, much to the dismay of critics.
“The notion that there’s external factors that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way — that’s nonsense,” Sills said from the owners’ meetings.
https://twitter.com/jfowlerespn/status/2112667282463695316?s=46&t=sN-eGz0KUlD-HBCcbDeG7w
Hurts is facing a serious medical situation involving deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, according to a joint statement released Monday by his agent, Nicole Lynn, and the team. The official announcement states that a blood clot originated in the quarterback’s leg and subsequently traveled to his lungs.
“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.
“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.”
Jalen Hurts 2026 season is already over. How his career pans out from here is anyone’s guess.
