NFL defends Eagles in New York over Jalen Hurts clot care

Quarterback Jalen Hurts remains on injured reserve as the NFL backed his team’s medical care in New York. The players’ union called hours later for a full inquiry into how team staff treated his blood clots.

Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season. A clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The team and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms.

The NFL confirmed it is not disciplining the team over the matter. League officials had contacted team medical personnel and the Cleveland Clinic in London throughout the process.

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills defended the team doctors on Tuesday at the league’s fall meeting.

“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. “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.”

The NFL Players Association released a statement later that day. It said the league told the union that no review was planned.

“Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred,” the union said. “Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward.”

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller disputed reports from Monday about Hurts’ sleep schedule before a game. Miller estimated Hurts slept seven or eight hours.

“Jalen Hurts returned to the hotel, slept for a period of time and went to the stadium,” Miller said.

Hurts played against Jacksonville in London on Oct. 11. He told staff about the issue three days earlier. London specialists first diagnosed him with left calf superficial vein thrombosis.

“I think there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London,” Sills said.

Sills stated that medical staff always put medicine over football. He called claims of outside pressures nonsense.

“The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way , that’s nonsense,” Sills said.

Dr. Caron Rockman reviewed reports of the incident. The vascular surgeon works at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. She did not treat Hurts.

“It’s a judgment call,” Rockman said. “I think it’s really a case-by-case basis. In my personal opinion, superficial vein thrombosis is not a (disqualification) to fly.”

Rockman saw no proof that the team acted improperly. Hurts cannot take part in football activities until he finishes blood thinners.

Injured reserve lists in professional sports keep hurt athletes off the active roster during recovery. Team medical crews work with outside specialists to set health plans for injured players.

League leaders gathered in New York on Tuesday to discuss team procedures and medical issues.