Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took a cleat to the calf on Oct. 4. In London, an ultrasound on Saturday, Oct. 10, found a small, superficial blood clot in his left calf. Doctors decided he could safely play. He was at a London hospital late Saturday night and got back to his hotel around 3 a.m., ESPN reported. Hours later he played every offensive snap of a 19-17 loss to the Jaguars, then flew home. A follow-up scan on Wednesday, Oct. 14, showed the clot had moved. He sat out Sunday's loss to the Panthers, and backup quarterback Tanner McKee started in his place. On Monday, the Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn, announced a deep vein thrombosis and clots in both lungs. He's on blood thinners, and the team expects a full recovery. ESPN and NFL Network report he'll likely miss the rest of the season.

The Eagles Gambled With His Health

Critics say the Eagles shouldn't have played him with a known blood clot.

A blood clot isn't a sprained ankle. "Playing through a sprained ankle is much different than playing through blood clots," wrote Yahoo Sports senior writer Frank Schwab. He called it "a horrific look for everyone involved." He said the Eagles owe a fuller explanation and the NFL should find out who knew what and when.

The team still hasn't explained itself. Crossing Broad writer Matt Schultz wrote that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni gave "canned" answers at Monday's press conference and that "Nick should not be up there." He said general manager Howie Roseman, owner Jeffrey Lurie, or the medical staff should be answering. "Why does it feel like the Eagles are being purposefully opaque?" he wrote.

But the Doctors Made a Reasonable Call

The team and outside specialists say playing with a small, superficial clot was medically sound.

The coach trusts his doctors. "I'm not a medical expert," Sirianni said Monday. "I lean on our guys in all those situations. I'm a football coach." He said he has "full trust and full faith" in the medical staff. He noted that the same staff helped 21 of 22 starters be available in the Super Bowl.

Playing likely didn't add risk. "A superficial clot — I don't think he put himself at any risk by playing," Dr. Michael Seidman, a hematology professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. He called waiting three days for a follow-up scan "completely reasonable." Another outside medical source with no ties to the team agreed, the Inquirer reported.

Flying isn't off limits either. "I don't typically put any flying restrictions on patients with a superficial or deep vein thrombosis," said Dr. Geoffrey Barnes, a vascular medicine specialist at University of Michigan Health who didn't treat Hurts. Superficial clots generally aren't dangerous unless they grow or move, Yahoo Health reported.

Either Way, the NFL Needs New Rules

Others say the bigger problem is who makes these calls and what the public gets told.

Players need doctors who don't work for the team. Former Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said Hurts "could have lost his life" and that team doctors "are doing what's best for the team." "Now that we have an independent neurologist for concussions, we need an independent doctor for everything," he said.

The injury report didn't tell the public enough. The Eagles listed Hurts only with a "calf" injury before the London game. The NFL said the Eagles were in touch with the league "throughout the process, including the morning of the game." ProFootballTalk writer Mike Florio wrote that the public deserved to know the clot could move. He said that missing information matters to bettors. He expects rule changes from the league, Congress, or a regulator.

The flight is defensible only if the team took precautions. Dr. David Chao, who spent 17 years as the Chargers' team doctor, said the flight home is "very defensible" if the team took steps like compression stockings and keeping him moving. "If they said nothing to see here, it causes at least an eyebrow raise," he said.

Where This Lands

Critics like Schwab and Schultz say the Eagles shouldn't have played him with a known clot and still haven't explained why. Sirianni says he trusts his medical staff, and outside doctors like Seidman say playing with a superficial clot was reasonable. Houshmandzadeh and Florio say the bigger fix is independent doctors and honest injury reports.

Sources