NFL Network analyst apologizes to Jalen Hurts for ‘unfounded’ comments

NFL Network analyst apologizes to Jalen Hurts for 'unfounded' comments.

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.
• I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday (Oct.
• Robinson's apology came hours after Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, provided further details on his medical situation and the gravity of it.
• Robinson apologized to Hurts and the Eagles on Monday, Oct.
• But then he took it much further, effectively questioning Hurts' credibility and the seriousness of his clotting matter.

NFL Network analyst apologizes to Jalen Hurts for 'unfounded' comments. Nate Davis USA TODAY. Jalen Hurts' season could end after serious blood clot diagnosis.

Perhaps the wildest story six weeks into the 2026 NFL season has been the unfolding odyssey around Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts – specifically the blood clots he's being treated for, if that should have happened sooner, and new questions regarding whether he should have played in London in Week 5 or even taken the transatlantic flight to Europe.

Yet the playing status of Hurts, who's projected to miss the rest of this season while he's placed on blood thinners, has come with his unraveling team serving as a backdrop – a situation that sparked even more speculation around the often polarizing quarterback. But one league analyst, former Pro Bowl fullback Michael Robinson of NFL Network, is sorry for the doubt he cast on the severity of Hurts' medical situation and suggesting that he removed himself from an already decimated lineup so as to avoid being blamed for Philadelphia's demise.

Robinson apologized to Hurts and the Eagles on Monday, Oct. 19.

"I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday (Oct. 15), " Robinson posted on social media.

"They were unfounded and I never should've speculated on a health issue of a player nor his commitment to his team." What did Michael Robinson say regarding Jalen Hurts?

After news of Hurts' blood clots first emerged last Thursday, Robinson proffered a fairly reckless alternate rationale for the Eagles' sudden decision to shut him down on NFL Network's "NFL Gameday Kickoff" – saying the team was "incentivized to go into the draft and maybe look for a quarterback."

"(I)f I'm just playing devil's advocate here, and I'm thinking that way, if I'm Jalen Hurts – or anybody in Jalen Hurts' camp – I'm saying, 'Well if everybody's hurt, I'm hurt, too, '" Robinson theorized.

"To me, it looked like Jalen is kind of getting himself out of the fray so that this lost season. He's pulling himself out so that this doesn't look like it's on me."

More: How did Jalen Hurts' blood clot obtain worse? A Harvard professor explains.

Robinson's apology came hours after Hurts' agent, Nicole Lynn, provided further details on his medical situation and the gravity of it. It was more serious than the quarterback and team apparently initially realized.

Hurts, who has been placed on injured reserve, has not officially been ruled out for the rest of the season. Nevertheless being placed on blood thinners usually requires months of treatment and is not compatible with playing a game as inherently dangerous as football.

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In short, NFL Network analyst apologizes to Jalen Hurts for unfounded comments is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.