Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the NFL welcomes an investigation into how the Eagles handled the blood clots of quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Associated Press and ESPN both reported this. It came after the players' union asked for one. The reported quote is: "That's what they do. They have that right."
Yahoo Sports framed it as a reversal. It reported that the league had said there would be no investigation into Hurts' medical treatment for blood clots, and that Goodell said this was changing after the union's request. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, in a summary also carried by Yahoo, noted that the NFLPA has the unilateral right to start an investigation. On that reading, the union could start one without league approval. The feed summaries we have don't say what form the review would take, who would run it, or when it would start.
Awful Announcing described the background. It said the Eagles have faced widespread scrutiny over the past two weeks for how they handled Hurts' health. The club announced before Sunday's game against the Panthers that Hurts would be out indefinitely with a superficial blood clot in his calf. The summary says news then broke Monday that Hurts would miss the game, but it cuts off there. Awful Announcing also pointed to conflicting statements from an NFL medical executive and the NFLPA. We don't have the full text, so we can't say what each side claimed.
Hurts hasn't played since Oct. 11. Our logs show he appeared in five games this season. He has 933 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 89-of-154 passing, a 57.8% completion rate. He has also been sacked 13 times. In his last game, a 19-17 loss at Jacksonville, he went 21-of-40 for 220 yards with one touchdown and two fumbles, neither lost.
The team has struggled in the meantime. In the 25-14 loss to Carolina on Oct. 18, Philadelphia managed 222 total yards to the Panthers' 399. It rushed 13 times for 35 yards. The Eagles are 2-4, third in the NFC East, and have lost four straight. The Panthers are 3-2 and lead the NFC South.
| GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Philadelphia plays Dallas on Monday, Oct. 26. None of the reporting we have gives Hurts' status for that game or a timeline for the inquiry. Whether the NFLPA formally begins its review before then is the next thing to watch.
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