In an explosive sports talk interview on player safety, Craig Carton and former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith break down the Philadelphia Eagles and NFL's controversial handling of quarterback Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts blood clot investigation to raise questions about Eagles' London trip and medical screening timing
by Armando Salguero · Fox NewsThe investigation into the events that surrounded the discovery of Jalen Hurts' blood clots has begun in earnest and there is 'no timetable for completion', a source told OutKick on Sunday.
"The NFL and NFL Players Association are working together to review the matter," a joint statement from the league and players union said.
That was expected and, indeed, demanded by the union last week after the Philadelphia Eagles placed Hurts on injured reserve and announced he is under a blood thinner regimen to address a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.
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NFL'S TOP DOCTOR DEFENDS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES HANDLING OF JALEN HURTS BLOOD CLOTS
Hurts cannot play until again until the clots are treated and he is off the blood thinners. That is expected to put him out the entire rest of the regular season and possibly longer.
The Eagles have been generally mute about the events that led to their announcement about Hurts on Oct. 19. Coach Nick Sirianni took questions on the issue but provided no detailed answers about the issue beyond saying he is not a doctor.
FORMER NFL TEAM DOCTOR ADDRESSES JALEN HURTS' BLOOD CLOT AS QB'S SEASON HINGES ON ONE KEY WORD
The Eagles have not made their team medical staff nor general manager Howie Roseman available to answer questions about the matter.
Despite this, the NFL put on a full-throated defense of the Eagles conduct in the matter that included league chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills saying he has "complete confidence in the Eagles medical staff and their handling of this situation."
The NFLPA was dubious of that confidence and exercised its right under the Collective Bargaining Agreement to have the situation investigated.
"Well, we welcome that," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. "That's part of our process and that's fine. Our chief medical officer has been through the protocols that were followed. So, we welcome that and if that's what they did, they have that right."
So what questions will the investigation ask?
That is not being released before the investigation, but some of the questions are obvious. Among them ...
- Why did the Eagles wait until after they traveled to London to have Hurts screened for blood clots?
- What happened in the hours preceding and following that screening abroad that led the Eagles to clear Hurts to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 11 in London?
- Why was Hurts, already diagnosed with superficial blood clots, then get put on the team flight back from London with the rest of the team?
- What protocols were undertaken on the flight to prevent the superficial clots becoming deep vein clots – which they eventually did?
- Did the long flight back from London lead to Hurts' clots to become a deep vein thrombosis?
Goodell last week was skeptical the trip to and from London played a role in the entire matter.
"I'm not sure how much international travel had to do with this in that context," Goodell said. "That's for maybe the medical professionals to tell us if that had any impact. I haven't heard that to date."
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The NFL and the NFLPA's stance throughout the entire saga has been ultimately caring for Hurts.
"Obviously, there was a medical evaluation," Goodell said. "And I think our protocols were incredibly good there. The most important thing here is Jalen's health, ultimately, and the future of a wonderful young man and just a great player.
"He's someone we all care deeply about. I'm more worried about his health ultimately but 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 with what we see the protocols that happened."
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Armando Salguero is OutKick's Senior NFL Writer.