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NFL players union wants probe into Hurts' medical care / Photo: Emilee Chinn - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
NFL players union wants probe into Hurts' medical care
The NFL Players Association called for an investigation into medical care for Jalen Hurts regarding blood clots on Tuesday while the league's medical director supported treatment by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Eagles quarterback Hurts was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the remainder of the season after blood clots were found in his lungs following an earlier clot in his left calf.
The Eagles and Hurts's agent said the star passer has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolisms.
Hurts, who led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last year, told team medical staff about the injury after being stepped on during a practice in London.
He was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in his calf and played against Jacksonville in London before flying home, where more examinations showed blood clots in his lungs.
The league, according to a report in The Athletic, is not punishing the Eagles for how the case was handled.
The NFL players union wants more information about the situation.
"The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts," the NFLPA said in a statement.
"In fact, the league previously informed the union that it did not plan to review the care he received.
"Before conclusions are drawn about 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."
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL chief medical officer, said Tuesday at the NFL meetings in New York that while he could not speak on specifics about Hurts for patient privacy reasons, he supported the Eagles and the actions taken.
"I have tremendous confidence in the Philadelphia Eagles' medical staff," Sills said, saying team physicians are not influenced by coaches, team owners or executives.
"It just doesn't happen," Sills said. "There's no doctor who is taking orders from a football person, a non-medical person."
Sills said he thought medical personnel acted with an abundance of caution and dismissed the idea anything was more important than patient health.
"The notion there are external factors that any of our physicians would put a player in harm's way -- that's nonsense," Sills said.
M.Costa--INP
