Independent Doctors Will Review the Handling of Jalen Hurts' Blood Clots, the NFL Tells a Senator

The NFL says independent doctors will review how the league and the Philadelphia Eagles handled the blood clots that ended Jalen Hurts' season, a step that came in a letter to a U.S. senator who has been pressing for answers since October ^[1][2].

In a reply to Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, the league said the case will be examined by mutually agreed-upon independent medical experts chosen with the NFL Players Association under the collective bargaining agreement, and that those experts will share their conclusions and recommendations with both the league and the union, according to CBS Philadelphia and ESPN ^[1][2]. The letter came from Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and health policy, ESPN reported ^[2].

How It Started

Hurts' ordeal began in London. Before the Eagles' Week 5 game against Jacksonville, an ultrasound found a superficial blood clot in his calf, and he was cleared by the medical staff to play, ESPN reported ^[5]. He played the game and flew home. A follow-up ultrasound back in Philadelphia showed the clot had moved, and later imaging found deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in both lungs, according to a joint statement from the Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn ^[5].

Hurts was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season, NFL Network reported ^[6]. He is taking blood thinners and cannot take part in contact activities ^[5]. The good news is the long-term outlook. "Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery," the statement said, per ESPN ^[5].

What the Senator Asked

Blunt Rochester wrote to Commissioner Roger Goodell in October asking about Hurts' diagnosis and the league's blood clot protocol ^[4]. Among her questions: whether the league would review who cleared Hurts to play and to make the long flight home from London, and on what timeline ^[1][4].

In his reply, Miller said the league has tracked clotting disorders among players every season through a subcommittee of its General Medical Committee and shares that information with the players' union, ESPN reported ^[2]. The league also said it may consider league-wide guidance, the New York Post reported ^[3].

There is no finish line yet. The review has not formally begun while the NFL and the NFLPA work out its parameters, and no timeline for its conclusion has been released ^[2][3]. The union has not invoked Article 39 of the labor deal, which allows a formal union investigation into medical care provided by team-affiliated staff, according to ESPN ^[2].

Blunt Rochester welcomed the response. She said she was "grateful for an update on the NFL's review of Mr. Hurts' diagnosis," per CBS Philadelphia, and urged the league to do more to raise awareness of blood clots ^[1].

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The Take: Get It Right, Not Fast

There will be a temptation, especially on social media, to rush to judgment about the Eagles' medical staff. That would be a mistake. What is known right now is limited: a clot was found, Hurts was cleared to play, and the clot later moved to his lungs ^[5]. What is not known is what the doctors saw, what the guidelines said and what decisions were made at each step. That is exactly what an independent review should establish.

It is the right approach. A review run jointly by the league and the union, with outside physicians both sides agree on, has a better chance of producing answers people trust than any internal look or any public shouting match. If something went wrong, the findings should say so plainly. If the staff followed sound medical practice, the findings should say that too.

Football asks a great deal of the men who play it. Long flights, travel across time zones and the physical toll of the game are part of the modern NFL, and international games are only growing. If this case leads to clearer guidance for every team, so that the next player with a clot gets the safest possible care, then some good will have come from a frightening season for one of the league's most respected leaders.

Most of all, Hurts' health comes first. Our prayers are with him and his family as he recovers.

What Comes Next

The NFL and the NFLPA still have to agree on the experts and the scope of the review ^[2]. Once the work begins, the findings will go to both sides ^[1]. Lawmakers like Blunt Rochester will be watching, and so will every player who boards a plane for a game overseas.