Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season after doctors discovered blood clots first in his calf and then in his lungs. Hurts was initially diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in the calf, but follow-up scans this past weekend revealed deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning several blood clots were now in his lungs.
Because the blood clot was "provoked" by Hurts being cleated in the leg during the Eagles' Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams and he then played in the team's Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London despite the initial clot reportedly being detected the night before, the Eagles have come under fire for their handling of the situation.
The NFL has already concluded that the process that led to Hurts being cleared to play in Week 5 "was handled appropriately," but the NFLPA subsequently released a statement calling for an investigation of the process nonetheless.
"The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received. Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward."
The league said earlier this week that it would welcome an investigation, with Commissioner Roger Goodell stating that "I think our protocols were incredibly good there" and that the NFL has the "greatest medical advisors and people that are working on the health of our players," per NFL Network.
No matter whether there is an investigation or not, or what the results of said investigation are, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley does not like how outside observers have tried to pit Hurts and the Eagles against each other.
"It sucks that people tried to make it an Eagles vs. Jalen thing," Barkley said, via The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Jalen is a heck of a guy, heck of a leader, a guy who cares about this sport, cares about other people. Any time the game is taken away from somebody, it sucks, but especially in this situation, where we don't fully know the magnitude of it. Sometimes it's bigger than football. My prayers go out to him."
The Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, did release a joint statement about the situation when the quarterback was ruled out for the season, so it would seem that they are on the same page regarding the situation. Here is the full statement:
"Over the last few days, Jalen Hurts has received comprehensive medical evaluations by physician experts. In the interest of transparency, we are providing additional information on the diagnosis and treatment plan related to his condition.
"Jalen was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis. After further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations. His treatment should only involve anticoagulation (i.e. "blood thinners"). During this time, he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football.
"Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery. We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners. In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. More importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects.
"We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery."
The situation is obviously incredibly serious, and the league and the NFLPA should probably conduct an investigation to ensure everything was handled appropriately and to determine whether any changes should be made to the protocols currently in place. Whether the Eagles and Hurts remain on the same page in the wake of such an investigation remains to be seen, but for now, it appears that they are.
