playESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsOct 21, 2026, 12:28 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league welcomes an investigation into the Philadelphia Eagles’ handling of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots after the players’ union asked for one.Goodell said in his news conference at the end of the NFL’s annual fall meeting that Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, has gone through the steps that were followed and added that the union had a right to call for a review.”Obviously, there was a medical evaluation, and I think our protocols were incredibly good there,” Goodell said. “The protocols were followed. Our process is to make sure that’s the case, and our chief medical officer has gone through that, so we’re comfortable that what we’ve seen in the protocols have happened.”Sills on Tuesday offered a passionate defense of the Eagles medical staff.
The NFL said officials were in touch with team doctors and athletic trainers, as well as the Cleveland Clinic in London.”The notion that there’s external factors that any of our physicians would put a player in harm’s way — that’s nonsense,” Sills said.The NFLPA’s call for an investigation was prompted by Sills’ comments as well as reports that the league would not issue any punishment to the Eagles for how they managed the process surrounding Hurts being cleared to play Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a league source told ESPN’s Tim McManus.”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,” the union’s statement read. “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.”Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, and the Eagles released a statement Monday saying that after further testing and monitoring, the current diagnosis was deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot traveled from his legs to his lungs.
Hurts, 28, is on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.An ultrasound in London on Oct. 10 revealed Hurts had a superficial blood clot in his leg, according to a statement released by the team last week. The Eagles said their medical staff and London-based doctors reviewed the ultrasound results and “concluded that activity and mobility were important and that Jalen could safely play” against the Jaguars.Sources told Rapoport that Hurts was in the hospital late at night in London, and upon returning to the hotel at 3 a.m. local time, he was able to sleep until the team left for the stadium at 10:30 a.m. Upon arrival, Hurts napped until heading out to the field for pregame warmups.Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Monday did not go into detail about why Hurts was allowed to play in the Jaguars game after he was diagnosed with a blood clot but maintained that “the health of our players is always at the forefront of our mind” while expressing “full faith” in the team’s medical experts.”The same doctors and trainers that helped 21 of our 22 starters be available in the Super Bowl are the same guys today that deeply care about our guys, to help them,” Sirianni said.Hurts’ clot is considered to be “provoked” — meaning a favorable prognosis with treatment and care — because he was cleated in his calf, sources told Rapoport.Goodell downplayed the role that international travel might have had in the situation.”The most important thing here is Jalen’s health, ultimately, and the future of him,” Goodell said Wednesday. “He’s a wonderful young man: not just a great player, but he’s someone we all care deeply about.
I’m more worried about his health, ultimately, but the protocols were followed.”U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware penned a letter to Goodell seeking answers on the circumstances that led to Hurts developing deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli as well as clarity on league blood clot protocol.Blunt Rochester’s late husband, Charles Rochester, died at age 52 when blood clots traveled to his heart and lungs after tearing his Achilles during a game of pickup basketball.”In recent years, several star professional athletes have struggled with sometimes career-ending blood clot symptoms … Athletes face multiple risk factors for DVT and PE, like traveling long distances, dehydration, trauma, and bone fractures, warranting heightened vigilance,” she said. “I am writing because this incident raises important questions about how the NFL protects the well-being of its players.”Blunt Rochester asked the NFL to respond to a series of questions, including what standards and processes govern a player’s clearance to participate when a clot is suspected or diagnosed, and whether the league will conduct a thorough review of the Eagles’ handling of the Hurts situation.”I’d welcome a briefing for my office and members of the U.S.
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions [HELP],” Blunt Rochester wrote.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
