Top NFL doctor pans ‘nonsense’ criticism of Jalen Hurts’ blood clot care

Top NFL doctor pans 'nonsense' criticism of Jalen Hurts' blood clot care.

Key points

• USA TODAY Sports' Chris Bumbaca breaks down Jalen Hurts' season-ending absence due to blood clots and what it means for the Eagles moving forward.
• Social media went rampant with criticism after The Ringer documented Hurts did not sleep for 36 hours before the game.
• Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shielded the Eagles' decision-making process from reporters Monday, Oct.
• Eagles coach Nick Sirianni faces questions from reporters regarding why Jalen Hurts was allowed to fly home from London after his blood clot diagnosis.
• Hurts was treated at the Cleveland Clinic in London and the league has additionally been in contact with that institution, the statement stated.

Top NFL doctor pans 'nonsense' criticism of Jalen Hurts' blood clot care. Chris Bumbaca USA TODAY. Jalen Hurts' season could end after serious blood clot diagnosis.

NEW YORK – The NFL will not punish or investigate the Philadelphia Eagles for the treatment of quarterback Jalen Hurts' blood clots, the league remarked in an official note Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Hurts was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs after being allowed to play in the team's Oct. 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London while dealing with what was, at that point, a superficial blood clot.

Hurts was treated at the Cleveland Clinic in London and the league has additionally been in contact with that institution, the statement stated. "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 remarked. "Medical care for players is provided by club medical staff in coordination with independent doctors."

League executives detailed their side of the story afterwards Tuesday at the NFL owners' fall gathering.

"We don't have protocol about this, " Sills remarked. "There's certain things we have protocols on, like concussion and heat and emergency preparedness. I'll just sum it up by saying that I have complete confidence in the Eagles' medical staff and their handling of this situation and I would characterize their work as particularly conservative, highly patient-focused and appropriately guarded at every step."

Social media went rampant with criticism after The Ringer documented Hurts did not sleep for 36 hours before the game. But according to the league's timeline of sleep events, Hurts returned to the team hotel and slept around 7-8 hours after undergoing his initial ultrasound in London.

"There was considerable and uninformed speculation (Monday) in the reporting, " NFL executive vice president for communications, player safety and public affairs Jeff Miller remarked.

Miller observed the "conservative steps" taken by doctors – "none of whom deserve the unfounded criticism that was leveled in the press (Monday), " Miller stated – while stressing that Hurts' health was always the top priority.

Notably, the NFL Players Association pressed a "full investigation into what occurred" with Hurts.

The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts, the NFLPA remarked in an official note to USA TODAY Sports. In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received.

"Before conclusions are drawn regarding 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." Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis progressed.

Hurts was initially diagnosed with a superficial blood clot. It was confirmed Thursday, Oct. 15, along with news that he would miss the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers. But on Monday, the team and a representative for Hurts published a joint statement describing how the superficial blood clot progressed into deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and multiple clots in his lungs.

Hurts is being treated with blood thinners. Although his recovery timeline is not exactly known, his season is probable over. His prognosis is good and his team and agent, Nicole Lynn, remarked in the statement that he is anticipated to create a full recovery.

Doctors who are blood clot experts and have spoken with USA TODAY Sports remarked that Hurts can indeed produce that full recovery as long as he does not need blood thinners (known as anticoagulation medication) for his long-term health.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shielded the Eagles' decision-making process from reporters Monday, Oct. 19, and remarked he had complete faith in the organization's medical staff. Owner Jeffrey Lurie attended the fall owners' session in New York on Tuesday but did not address the media. Jalen Hurts' blood clot sparks questions for Nick Sirianni.

Teams secure the best of the best doctors in each NFL market, along with consultants, Sills remarked.

"It's not our job to go in to tell them how to practice medicine, " he remarked. "It's our job to support them."

In practice, a team physician is a misnomer, Sills remarked – the first obligation is to the patient as that is the oath every doctor pledges.

"Any idea or any suggestion that a team physician is ever being influenced by a coach, a general manager, a team owner – it just doesn't happen, " Sills remarked.

Modern medicine calls for what Sills called "shared decision-making." Doctors provide patients with data, facts and opinion, but treatment is up to the patient.

"The notion that there are external factors or that any of our physicians would put a player in harm's way – that's nonsense, " Sills remarked.

Sills remarked the league works hard to secure the best doctors in locations where international games are played. He and his team visit a site on multiple occasions, starting regarding a year before the game, to prepare as the NFL wants the same standard of care for their players as if they were in a U.S. City.

That's our commitment, Sills remarked. That's why we go there, spend all that time and develop those relationships.

"They're getting access to the best of the best care in that market. It we feel is equivalent to that, that we could have in the U.S. That absolutely is the case that we have here."

Sills remarked the league has been tracking blood clots in players for concerning the last 10 years. Every season, a handful of cases that involve clotting disorders in players pop up, Sills remarked, "so this isn't really a new situation."

"But it's something we examine, we track, we look at the patterns and look for any learnings that we can again then share, " he remarked. "It's not a novel situation, and it's something that we and the Players Association and their medical advisers evaluate every year."

Like other doctors USA TODAY has spoken with, Sills would not definitively say whether flying from Philadelphia to London and back played a role in Hurts' clot progressing from superficial in his lower leg to pulmonary emboli.

"I think there was incredible vigilance, there was conservative care, state of the art imaging that was done in London, " Sills remarked. As far as the timing and the decision-making, I have great confidence in that and believe that everyone acted with an abundance of caution and with a tremendous – what we call a high degree of suspicion – to try to identify and take care of these things as rapidly as feasible, "And. And most importantly – and this is the most significant thing – acted at every moment with the patient's best interests at heart, regardless of their identity."

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For now, top NFL doctor pans nonsense criticism of Jalen Hurts blood clot care remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.