Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ruled out for season amid NFL player-safety concerns
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was declared out for the season after a blood clot spread to his lungs, prompting scrutiny of the NFL’s handling of player health and its expanding international schedule.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was ruled out for the remainder of the season on Oct. 19 after medical tests showed a blood clot in his left calf had traveled to his lungs. The decision follows his absence in the team’s recent 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, marking the Eagles’ fifth consecutive defeat.
Hurts had previously traveled to London for a game against Jacksonville on Oct. 11, where he was cleared to play a day after being diagnosed with a superficial blood clot. The Eagles lost that match after a late kickoff return set up a walk-off field goal for the Jaguars.
The league and the NFL Players Association have agreed to investigate the circumstances surrounding Hurts’s medical treatment, raising questions about the independence of the players’ union in such matters. The NFL’s schedule this season includes a record nine regular-season games outside the United States, a factor the league says is carefully planned but which some observers argue adds physical strain on players.
New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo criticized the league’s enforcement of penalties after he was flagged for unnecessary roughness during a recent game.
“The NFL loves to post me when I do stuff like that, but then also wants to take stuff from me,” Skattebo said. “I’m going to run the ball like I want to run the ball.”
Skattebo added that continued penalties could affect his willingness to play without compensation.
“If I’m going to continue to get flags for it or fined for it, guess I’m going to play for free,” he said.
The situation highlights ongoing debates about player safety, the league’s commercial expansion, and the responsibilities of team owners in protecting athlete health.