By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The NFL defended the Philadelphia Eagles' treatment of Jalen Hurts on Tuesday after the quarterback was sidelined indefinitely due to blood clots in his lungs, while the players' union called for an inquiry into the care he received.
Hurts, 28, was diagnosed with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis prior to playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 11. The team took a flight back to the US following the game.
After further testing and
monitoring he was diagnosed on Monday with deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary embolism, where a blood clot travels from a deep vein in the body, often the leg, and blocks an artery in both lungs.
Hurts is clinically stable as he undergoes treatment with blood thinners, but pundits and fans have questioned why the 2025 Super Bowl MVP was allowed to play in the London game.
"If you're not sitting in that room with that patient and you don't have all the data, if you are speculating as a physician on what should have been done, you are unprofessional and unethical in doing that," NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills told reporters at the NFL owners meeting on Tuesday.
Sills said there was no set league protocol for blood clots as there is with concussions.
"I have complete confidence in the Eagles staff and their handling of this situation," he added.
Later on Tuesday, the National Football League Players Association issued a statement saying it was not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care Hurts received.
"Before conclusions are drawn about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation into what occurred," it said. "Determining the facts is essential to ensuring players receive the highest level of care and protection going forward."
Reuters was not immediately able to reach the league office for comment.
An NFL spokesperson previously said that the league was in contact with Eagles medical personnel and the Cleveland Clinic in London where Hurts was tested.
The league's chief medical officer arranges medical resources in every international market with approval from the players' union, the spokesperson added.
League officials were critical of early media reports and speculation surrounding Hurts' condition, telling reporters at Tuesday's owners meeting in New York that doctors caring for players are not influenced by coaches, general managers or team owners.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said the team cared deeply about their players and that he trusted the team's 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," Sirianni said.
"We get medical information from our guys, and we always put the players' health first and foremost in every situation. And, you know, that's where we were there."
The Eagles have said they expect Hurts to make a full recovery and that he would have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when he no longer needs to take blood thinners.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar, Toby Davis and Peter Rutherford)
