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As news broke Monday morning that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would miss the rest of the season after further testing revealed several blood clots in his lungs, people began to question how Hurts was allowed to play last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero, who is now with The Ringer and Netflix, was first to break the news, reporting that Hurts “is expected to be sidelined for multiple months after new imaging over the weekend found several blood clots in his lungs,” adding it’s “unlikely” he’ll play again this season.
That report alone was enough to get people questioning why Hurts was on the field in London. Pelissero’s follow-up, however, made the entire situation seem much worse than most initially thought.
“How committed is Jalen Hurts to football? After initially being diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in London, doctors told him not to sleep as a precaution, so he had been awake for roughly 36 hours when he started against the Jaguars, throwing for 220 yards and a TD,” Pelissero wrote.
The revelation raised obvious questions about why Hurts was allowed to take the field and why Pelissero framed it as a feel-good story rather than potential organizational malpractice.
Most reporters would probably seek answers to at least some of the following questions.
Did the Eagles think it was safe for Hurts to play a football game after not sleeping for 36 hours? Maybe more obviously, how did doctors determine it was not safe for Hurts to sleep, but his condition was stable enough that he could still play an NFL football game with 300-pound linemen trying to take his head off?
Beyond that, why did the Eagles let Hurts fly home from London to Philadelphia, knowing he had active blood clots? Flying with blood clots can be incredibly dangerous and is usually only allowed after medical clearance.
To the normal observer, these questions are incredibly concerning. There seems to have been a series of blatant missteps that could’ve resulted in serious injury. But instead of questioning how this happened, Pelissero reported Hurts’ story as if the quarterback made an admirable decision to tough it out and play against the Jaguars.
Any athlete of Hurts’ caliber is going to play if given the go-ahead. But it’s incumbent upon the Eagles organization to tell him he can’t. Why was he allowed to play?
The Jalen Hurts story may be the most ridiculous in the 36 years I’ve been watching sports and 25 years I’ve been in sports media.
Beyond insane.
It is not normal and shouldn’t be framed as such. https://t.co/CwA9ue84Ag
— Nick Kostos (@TheKostos) October 19, 2026
There are also some less important, but still relevant, questions. Did the Eagles think a sleep-deprived Hurts still gave them their best shot at winning? And why were Hurts’ blood clots, discovered before the game, not listed on the final injury report Sunday morning, despite the calf discomfort that led to their discovery being listed on the Friday report?
While those questions don’t directly concern Hurts’ well-being, they speak to potential organizational incompetence from the Eagles.
Pelissero’s reports didn’t cover any of that ground. And he was rightly called out for it by several prominent sports media voices.
Yeah…this isn’t a”how much he loves football “ story. It’s a “ everyone in the Eagles organization needs to answer some really hard questions “story
— trey wingo (@wingoz) October 19, 2026
Committed? Committed? The Eagles’ front office should be committed. And the players’ union should be committed to player safety. This is not a feel good story. It’s an outrage.
— David P. Samson (@DavidPSamson) October 19, 2026
Tom, how are you framing this as a heroic story about his love for the game? This is mismanagement that put the man’s life at risk.
— Zito (@_Zeets) October 19, 2026
am i crazy? why is this being celebrated as some inspirational story? that’s fucking malpractice
— Zach Jacobson (@zachjacobson) October 19, 2026
And the story now being spun as how “strong” Jalen is , makes me even more mad.
First media is trashing him claiming he’s faking
Now everyone’s trying to claim he’s a hero
It’s malpractice , dangerous and reckless.
— Renee Washington (@ReneePwash) October 19, 2026
Pelissero’s report is far from the first time we’ve seen an NFL insider try to run damage control for an organization or player. Favor trading and narrative spinning are the name of the game in Insiderdom. But this is one of the most blatant recent examples of an insider framing a clearly negative story in a positive light to shield the organization from criticism.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, almost everyone can see right through it.
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The College Football Playoff national champion trophy
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Racing driver Bubba Wallace