Jalen Hurts’ Week 5 Clearance Sparks NFLPA Push for Investigation Despite NFL Clearing Eagles Over Blood Clot Diagnosis
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts played against the Jaguars in Week 5 despite diagnosis revealed a blood clot in his calf.
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Jalen Hurts playing in London (Image via PHLEagles/X)
As if the situation surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles and their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, wasn’t serious enough, now allegations are being thrown about how the franchise handled his blood clot diagnosis.
To start, the organization had its signal caller undergo an ultrasound before the Week 5 clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. The process revealed that he suffered from a superficial blood clot in his calf.
However, the team cleared him to play. Hurts played the entire game and was average at best, with his 220 yards, one touchdown, and 77.1 rating not being good enough to help his team win.
That underwhelming performance abroad did not ring any alarm bells. But when the quarterback was asked to stay back and avoid traveling to reduce the health risk, eyebrows rose across the league.
Further testing revealed that Hurts suffered a deep vein thrombosis, an injury that can lead to complications if the athlete does not stop doing whatever they are paid for. NBA star Victor Wembanyama suffered one a couple of seasons ago and stopped playing immediately.
That last part is what has ended up causing a major problem in the league. The primary question is how the Eagles allowed their superstar to play once they knew he had a clot in his calf.
Statement from the NFLPA on the #Eagles and QB Jalen Hurts: “The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts. In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received. Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 20, 2026
The NFLPA came out with a statement earlier to demand a full investigation into the Philadelphia Eagles’ handling of the diagnosis of Jalen Hurts’ blood clot and why he was cleared to play. The players’ union came out with this stance after the NFL apparently cleared the franchise of any wrongdoing.
NFL chief doctor defended Eagles’ handling of Jalen Hurts’ diagnosis
The NFPLA came out with this statement moments after the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, Allen Sills, appeared in front of reporters and said this about the Eagles’ handling of Jalen Hurts.
The notion that there’s external factors that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way. That’s nonsense
Allen Sills said
In his nearly five-minute-long speech, Sills made it clear that no doctor listens to team personnel, especially when it is on them to figure out how much a player is in harm’s way.
NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills gave a nearly 5-minute defense of the league and Eagles protocol in treating Jalen Hurts’ blood clots. Called some reports “nonsense” and insisted that no doctors are taking orders from football coaches or management when treating patients. https://t.co/LvmzoYvPYy
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 20, 2026
Sills collaborated with his counterpart in the Premier League, Mark Gillett, to see Hurts. Once they shared their findings, Eagles’ staff, league personnel, and Jalen Hurts collectively decided that he could play.
Therefore, there is no malice on the part of the Eagles or the NFL in knowingly allowing a player to face additional risk. Now that the Super Bowl LIX MVP is done for the season, it seems the union wants to know whether findings were rushed and Hurts was not given a full diagnosis of what he was facing.
Jalen Hurts has to avoid any physical exertion until blood clots clear
Just as it was with Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Hurts has to stop any physically exerting activity until doctors give him the all-clear. The San Antonio Spurs superstar followed that advice until the start of the offseason workouts.
It would be wise for the 28-year-old to do the same, as not only is his career under threat, but his life after his NFL career also hangs in the balance depending on how he manages this recovery.
The Eagles are done for this season. They were already struggling with inconsistency, and now have to make do with backup quarterbacks. Therefore, it is a good opportunity for the rest of the team to work on improving while their signal caller recovers.
Only then can they return next season with the hope of playing to their best. If Jalen Hurts does not recover on time, then next season and his future in the league could be in jeopardy.
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