FRISCO, Texas — News of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts being excluded in Week 6 with superficial blood clots rocked many NFL players, including rival Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
“It’s scary when you get things like that. Blood clots, you’re talking about someone’s life, especially with the plane ride and everything they took,” Prescott said. “Yes, it’s scary. If you feel something, speak up. I’m lucky [my personal physical therapist] Luke Miller. He was into things before I was into things sometimes. I try to blow things off, and he’s like ‘no, no let’s look at this. Let me examine it more closely.’ I encourage people to be open about their bodies and learn about their bodies.”
In a statement about the injury, the Eagles said Hurts visited the training room on Thursday, Oct. 8, after practice to receive treatment on his calf. Philadelphia had his calf ultrasounded Saturday after the team flew to London for its Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it picked up a superficial blood clot. Along with doctors in London, the team’s medical staff decided Hurts could play safely. After a follow-up ultrasound, Hurts’ blood clot was discovered to have moved, so the Eagles ruled him out for their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers, saying “his health and safety is our highest priority.”
Prescott’s message to other athletes in this situation is straightforward: have an open conversation with your team’s training staff. He admits there can sometimes be a stigma to doing so as an NFL player, but there’s nothing wrong with putting things on their radar.
“I’m in a fortunate situation right now in being so far into my career, but it’s about making good relationships with those people. [the training staff],” said Prescott. “Tell them everything. You can get a heads up on this. You can tell them and just say ‘that’s fine, but I’m letting you know.’ I encourage all athletes: don’t be shy if something bothers you. Talk about it. This is a tough man’s sport at the end of the day, so let them know if you’re fine like ‘hey, I’m just warning you. I’m just warning you, so you can be ahead of things like this.'”