Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on Monday defended the team's handling of quarterback Jalen Hurts' blood clots, saying the decision to play him in London on Oct. 11 rested with the team's medical experts.1,5
The Eagles and Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, said in a joint statement Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a clot traveled from his legs to his lungs. Hurts, 28, will not be permitted to participate in football activities while he takes the anticoagulant medication used to treat the clots. The statement gave no timeline for his return to the field.1,5,6
Sirianni was asked at a press conference about the team's decision to play Hurts on Oct. 11 despite knowing he had a blood clot and was on limited rest. He said the call was left to the medical staff. "I'm a football coach. I lean on our medical experts in every situation. I have full trust and full faith in them. It's not just me that has major care for our players; it's them as well," Sirianni said.1
"The health of our players is always at the forefront of our mind," Sirianni said earlier in the session. He repeatedly expressed confidence in the staff, saying "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."1
Asked about the decision to fly Hurts home after the diagnosis, Sirianni said the team receives medical information from its players and puts their health first. "We get medical information from our guys, and we always put the players' health first and foremost in every situation," he said.1
Sources told ESPN that Hurts was hospitalized in London until 4 a.m. on Sunday, before the Eagles played the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 11. Specialists in London had first diagnosed him with a superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf, and he had informed team medical staff of the injury after a practice three days before the game, according to the Guardian. Hurts played in the 19-17 loss, attempting 40 passes, according to the Daily Caller.1,5,6
The Eagles publicly announced on Oct. 15 that Hurts would be sidelined by a superficial clot. The later diagnosis that the clots had reached his lungs came days after that announcement.1
Dr. Darien Sutton, an ABC News medical correspondent and board-certified emergency physician who is not involved in Hurts' care, said superficial clots, which lie close to the skin, rarely travel to the lungs. "The question is, where did these clots come from," Sutton said Monday. "Being fit, young and physically active and healthy doesn't eliminate your risks for many reasons."1
Sutton said that prolonged immobility or travel, an injury, inflammation or inherited genetic risk factors could raise the chance that a superficial clot travels to the lungs. He said a pulmonary embolism can be serious, potentially causing permanent lung damage, low blood oxygen and harm to other organs.1
Citing its sources, the Daily Caller reported that ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport had said Hurts was expected to miss at least three months and the rest of the 2026 season. The team's statement, as quoted by the Daily Caller, said Hurts is "clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations." It added: "Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery," and "we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects." The statement also said he would remain active around the team and continue to condition.5,1
Hurts is on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season, the Guardian reported. The Eagles' statement did not give a timeline, and the Daily Caller's account of a three-month absence came from unnamed sources, so the length of his absence has not been confirmed by the team.6,5,1
On Tuesday, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press, on condition of anonymity, that the Eagles would not face disciplinary action over their handling of Hurts' condition. In a statement, the NFL said league officials had been in contact with Eagles medical personnel and the Cleveland Clinic in London throughout Hurts' treatment. "The league's chief medical officer, Dr Allen Sills, arranges for medical resources with leading providers in every international market with approval from the NFL Players Association," the league said. "Medical care for players is provided by club medical staff in coordination with independent doctors."6
Sills and other league officials were expected to address reporters later Tuesday at the NFL's annual fall meeting in New York.6