The NFL has decided not to punish the Philadelphia Eagles regarding their medical procedures and injury reporting after quarterback Jalen Hurts played through a blood clot in Week 5, according to a report from The Athletic.
A league source told The Athletic that the NFL concluded the process of clearing Hurts to suit up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London was “handled appropriately.” The league will not discipline Philadelphia for how it managed the evaluation or for failing to assign Hurts a formal game-status injury designation ahead of the Oct. 11 contest.
Review follows alarming medical development
The league’s determination comes amid intense criticism after the team announced Monday that Hurts is likely to miss the rest of the season. Follow-up examinations revealed that the quarterback is battling multiple blood clots in his lungs, known medically as bilateral pulmonary emboli, alongside deep vein thrombosis.
Hurts first reported calf discomfort on Oct. 8 following a home defeat against the Los Angeles Rams, stating he had been cleated during that game. An ultrasound performed in London detected a superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf. Despite the discovery, medical personnel deemed Hurts eligible to play because specialists in London and team staff concluded that remaining active and mobile was vital, The Guardian reported.
Philadelphia listed Hurts on its Week 5 practice injury report with a calf issue but did not assign him an injury designation because team officials did not expect his game repetitions to be altered, Yahoo Sports reported. Hurts threw for 220 yards and a touchdown in the London loss.
Scrutiny over pregame travel and sleep
Controversy escalated following conflicting accounts about Hurts’ physical condition leading into kickoff. Initial reports suggested Hurts had been advised to stay awake and had gone without sleep for roughly 36 straight hours. However, those claims were later revised. Reporting from The Athletic indicated the 28-year-old quarterback was able to sleep from approximately 2:45 a.m. until 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, followed by an additional nap upon reaching the stadium.
Head coach Nick Sirianni defended the organization on Monday, emphasizing that he deferred entirely to medical staff before letting Hurts take the field. “I’m a football coach. I lean on our medical experts in every situation,” Sirianni said, according to The Guardian. “I have full trust and full faith in them.”
What lies ahead for the Eagles and Hurts
Hurts practiced without limits the Wednesday after the London game, but subsequent imaging revealed movement in the clot, prompting Philadelphia to sideline him for Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. He has since been placed on injured reserve.
A joint statement released Monday by the franchise and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, projected an optimistic tone, noting that his long-term prognosis remains strong and that he is anticipated to resume contact football activities once he finishes treatment on blood thinners. Vascular specialists told the New York Post that standard recovery periods on blood thinners typically range from three to six months, provided testing does not uncover a chronic clotting disorder.
With Hurts sidelined, Philadelphia must navigate the remainder of the regular season starting with a Week 7 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football.”
