NFL Brings Independent Experts Into Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts Blood Clot Case After Team Questions

Jalen Hurts on the field for the Philadelphia Eagles.© X/@Eagles_lead

Jalen Hurts' recovery from blood clots has now drawn attention beyond the Philadelphia Eagles, with the NFL agreeing to bring independent medical experts into the case. The decision followed questions from U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester about the medical care the quarterback received before and after the Eagles' London game in October. The NFL has shared how it plans to examine the case, including the role of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and what could change after the review.

Jalen Hurts' blood clot case gets an independent review

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller outlined the next steps in a November 6 letter to Blunt Rochester. Under the league's collective bargaining agreement, the NFL and NFLPA will jointly choose independent doctors to examine the decisions made during Hurts' treatment. They will send their findings and recommendations to both sides.

The review will look at the circumstances surrounding the diagnosis, rather than leave the matter solely to the Eagles' medical staff. According to ESPN, the NFL and NFLPA are still working out the terms of the review, which has not officially started.

Miller said the league had monitored clotting disorders among players through a subcommittee of its General Medical Committee for at least a decade. The NFL has shared that information with the players' union, while several medical committees continue to track player injury data.

The independent doctors must submit a written report within 60 days of their selection under the collective bargaining agreement. Both the NFL and NFLPA must act on recommendations made to address any problems identified during the review.

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester seeks answers from the NFL

Blunt Rochester first contacted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in October, asking whether the league had clear rules for detecting, preventing and treating blood clots.  She wanted to know who cleared Hurts to play in London, who approved his return flight, and whether the league would examine those decisions.

Her request carried a personal connection. Her husband, Charles Rochester, died at 52 after blood clots traveled to his heart and lungs following an Achilles injury. “I am deeply relieved that Mr Hurts's story did not end the way my husband's did,” she wrote.

Hurts had reported being cleated in his calf during the October 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams. An ultrasound in London later found a superficial clot, but team doctors cleared him to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 11.

A follow-up scan on October 14 showed that the clot had moved. More tests led to a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in both lungs. The 28-year-old quarterback began taking blood thinners and was placed on injured reserve on October 17. He was expected to miss the rest of the season.

Blunt Rochester welcomed the NFL's response but urged the league to use the case to raise awareness of DVT and pulmonary embolism, helping protect players and improve public health.