The Philadelphia Eagles will not face any punishment from the NFL regarding how they handled Jalen Hurts’ medical situation, according to The Athletic. On Monday, the team announced that Hurts was expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season after discovering blood clots in his lungs.
The league reportedly concluded that the process that led to Hurts being cleared to play in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London with a superficial blood clot was “handled appropriately.” The league will not impose any penalty on the franchise for how it handled its medical process, or for Hurts not being given an injury designation before the game.
On Tuesday, the NFL released a statement providing more information on what it knows about Hurts’ situation and the medical professionals treating him. The league said it had been in contact with the Eagles during the tests, back to the first in London. The league also clarified what it called “misinformation” regarding reports that Hurts did not sleep 36 hours before their international game.
Here’s the full statement from the league:
“The league has been in contact throughout the process with the Eagles’ medical staff, and the Cleveland Clinic in London where the tests were performed.
The league’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Allen Sills arranges medical resources with leading providers in every international market with approval from the NFL Players Association.
Medical care for players is provided by the club’s medical staff in coordination with independent doctors.
There was also misinformation about Jalen not sleeping for 36 hours before the game. That was not true and no one told him not to sleep because of his situation. The club has told all players, coaches and staff to try to stay awake as much as they can on Saturday as the team heads home after the game in London. The team does not have a bye week and like other NFL teams traveling to London and back, they are trying to maintain a normal routine as much as possible.”
The NFL Player’s Association (NFLPA), released a statement Tuesday night responding to reports that the NFL will not punish the Eagles for their handling of the situation. They say the league informed the union that they did not plan to look further into the management and treatment of Hurts’ health. The NFPA is asking the league to launch a full investigation.
Here’s the NFLPA’s full statement:
“The NFLPA is not aware of any investigation by the NFL into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. In fact, the league has previously informed the union that it does not plan to review the care he received. Before drawing conclusions about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what happened. Finding the facts is essential to ensure players receive the highest level of care and protection in the future.”
On Thursday of last week, the Eagles released a statement saying that a superficial blood clot in Hurts’ calf had dislocated, leading the team to sit him out for their Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The Eagles also announced that the NFL was made aware of the situation last week. This is the first of several confusing developments that have led to more questions than answers.
Just days after Hurts’ blood clot diagnosis became public, it was reported that the team did not plan to place him on injured reserve. A few hours later, Hurts was placed on injured reserve. Then came the bombshell Monday, when a follow-up scan showed that Hurts’ superficial vein thrombosis had turned into deep vein thrombosis, including “bilateral pulmonary emboli,” meaning the blood clots were in both Hurts’ lungs.
It’s not exactly clear why Hurts was allowed to play a football game and take a long international flight with a superficial blood clot, or if the Eagles’ decisions made his situation more serious. But the NFL determined that the team had taken appropriate steps in handling the issue.
Jonathan Jones offers additional reporting to help clear up some misconceptions about this wild story.
Was Hurts forced to stay awake in London?
Hurts was reportedly told by doctors not to sleep as a precaution because of the blood clot, so he didn’t sleep for 36 hours before playing against the Jaguars. The NFL specifically targeted this rumor in their statement, making it clear that the team was encouraged to stay up late to stay on Eastern time.
Hurts was not told to stay awake because of his medical condition. He returned to the team hotel around 2:45 a.m. local time Sunday and slept until around 10 a.m. Hurts also slept in the stadium before kickoff.
Tom Pelissero later hit back at this reporting, saying that Hurts’ agent clarified that while the quarterback was awake until early Sunday morning being checked out at a hospital, he fell asleep before the game.
Blood clot timeline
Saturday, Oct. 10: A superficial blood clot in Hurts’ calf was discovered during a visit to the Cleveland Clinic in London following a team walk-through.
Wednesday, Oct. 14: A follow-up appointment in Philly showed that the superficial blood clot had migrated, causing the Eagles to shut down Hurts indefinitely. He is undergoing further testing.
Monday, Oct. 19: Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, released a joint statement laying out an updated diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. Here is the full statement:
“Over the past few days, Jalen Hurts has received a comprehensive medical evaluation by medical experts. In the interest of transparency, we are providing additional information on the diagnosis and treatment plan related to his condition.
“Jalen was first diagnosed by specialists in London with left calf superficial vein thrombosis. After further examination 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 (ie, “blood thinners” are not allowed to interact with any of these football activities.
“Jalen’s prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery. We expect him to have the opportunity to resume contact with football activities once the blood thinners wear off. In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue conditioning. More importantly, we expect him to have no long-term side effects.”