The NFL Players Association is calling for a “full investigation” into how the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles handled quarterback Jalen Hurts’ medical care.
After Harts was diagnosed with superficial vein thrombosis in his left calf, he played for the Eagles in the team’s Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. But after he was ruled out of the team’s Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers, it was announced that Harts would be undergoing treatment for severe venous bleeding and bilateral pneumonia, which included blood transfusions.
Hearts is expected to miss the rest of the season.
League officials on Tuesday defended how the Eagles quarterback was treated while in London.
The NFL’s chief medical officer, Allen Sills, said: “The notion that any of our doctors had external factors contributing to the player’s injury is futile. It has also been reported that the league will not penalize the Eagles based on how Hurts’ medical condition was handled and the NFL has determined that the team is not in violation of league policy.”
However, the NFLPA wasn’t satisfied with that assessment, and released a statement Tuesday night calling for a “full investigation” into how his care was handled:
“The NFLPA is not aware of any NFL investigation into the medical care provided to Jalen Harts. In fact, the league has previously announced that it has no plans to review the care the union received. A full investigation of what happened must be done before any conclusions can be drawn about how this situation was handled. It is important to determine the facts to ensure the players receive the highest level of care and protection.”
He was hospitalized with the injury during the game against the Jaguars in London, returning to the team hotel at 3 p.m. local time. According to reports, he was able to sleep until the team headed to the stadium at 10:30 for their game against Jacksonville.
This is a developing story and will evolve.
