The NFL used the first day of its fall meeting in New York to push back hard on the criticism of how the Philadelphia Eagles handled Jalen Hurts’ blood clots. Jeff Miller, the league’s executive vice president for health and safety, and Allen Sills, its chief medical officer, told reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 20, that the club’s doctors acted correctly and that some of the reporting on the case had been wrong.
“There was considerable and uninformed speculation yesterday in the reporting,” Miller said. “I understand that all the facts are now publicly available [and] have been reported widely regarding the conservative steps that were taken to ensure Jalen Hurts’s health was always made the first priority and continues to be.” He also described “unfounded criticism” of the Eagles’ team physicians.
Sills: “incredible vigilance” and “conservative care”
Sills spoke for nearly five minutes on the subject. He called the idea that any team’s medical staff would knowingly put a player in harm’s way “nonsense” and said doctors do not take orders from coaches or general managers when they treat a patient. “I have tremendous confidence in the Philadelphia Eagles’ medical staff,” he said, adding that he has the same confidence in every club’s doctors.
NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills gave a nearly 5-minute defense of the league and Eagles protocol in treating Jalen Hurts’ blood clots.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 20, 2026
Called some reports “nonsense” and insisted that no doctors are taking orders from football coaches or management when treating patients. pic.twitter.com/LvmzoYvPYy
He would not go into the details of the timeline, citing patient privacy. “I respect the patient, who happens to be a prominent player, and also the providers,” Sills said. “I just go back to saying I think there was incredible vigilance. There was conservative care, state-of-the-art imaging that was done in London.” He said everyone involved acted “with an abundance of caution” and “with the patient’s best interests at heart, regardless of their identity.”
Earlier in the day, Mark Maske reported that the league believes the Eagles followed proper medical procedures and decision-making. Sills arranges for a qualified medical provider in every market where the NFL plays, and in London that meant Hurts was examined and tested at the Cleveland Clinic, with the players’ union involved in that process. All Eagles players were also given sleep recommendations for the trip as part of the time-change plan, according to the same reporting.
The Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, said on Monday that the quarterback has a deep vein thrombosis with clots in both lungs. He is being treated with blood thinners and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Nick Sirianni said the same day that he has “full trust” in the club’s medical staff. The NFLPA has not made a public statement on the case.
Troy Vincent: officials “crossed the line”
Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, defended the recent suspensions of referee Adrian Hill (one game) and line judge Jeff Seeman (two games) for unprofessional conduct toward players. “You crossed the line,” he said. The NFL Referees Association has called the discipline “excessive and inconsistent with past precedent” and filed a grievance, and Vincent said the league would fight it “to the very end.” He added that NFLPA executive director J.C. Tretter had reached out to the referees’ union directly.
Vincent also said owners spent “a good amount of time” on the kickoff, and that “we’ve still got to address the onside kick.” Miller said the league-wide return rate on kickoffs is about 80 percent, adding, “We can declare success on that one,” and that the concussion rate on kickoffs has dropped significantly in the early data. Vincent tied the early-season rise in penalties and sloppy play to the fact that about 40 percent of starters did not play in the preseason. “I truly believe to be a good tackler, you have to tackle, and not just in practice,” he said.
Ten international games are on the table for 2027
Peter O’Reilly, the executive vice president in charge of club business, international and league events, said the NFL is “considering going up to 10” international games next season. That is the most the current labor deal allows. Owners raised the cap from eight to 10 in May, and the league is playing nine this year. O’Reilly said he was “not sure” whether a new country would be added, though he mentioned new cities in countries the league has already visited.
He also said the league was “never close” to moving Sunday’s Steelers-Saints game in Paris despite the unrest in France. “Our team has been on the ground there for about 10 days,” O’Reilly said, adding that the security presence “will be heightened.” WhyNFL has covered the curfews and the league’s plans for the week.
What owners approved
- Falcons: owners approved Arctos, the private-equity firm now owned by KKR, buying a 7.5 percent limited-partner stake in Atlanta, effective immediately. Arctos has committed to another 2.5 percent later, which needs a separate vote. The full 10 percent was reported at a $10.6 billion valuation.
- Browns: owners approved G-5 stadium financing for Cleveland’s new enclosed stadium in Brook Park, Jeremy Fowler reported. The G-5 program lets a club borrow up to $300 million from the league. The $2.6 billion stadium is scheduled to open in 2029.
- Dolphins: no result had been announced by Tuesday night on Jean Eric Salata’s 2.1 percent stake at a record valuation of just over $12.5 billion.
- Ticketing: no decision had been reported on the league’s secondary ticketing deal, where Ticketmaster’s contract runs out in March and SeatGeek has made a strong bid.
Jed York was among the owners in the room, on the day his six-game suspension ended. The meeting ends on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and Roger Goodell usually speaks to reporters when it closes, in the late afternoon New York time, which is late evening in Cairo.
The league also had not announced a Week 8 schedule change by Tuesday evening, so Eagles-Commanders was still in the Sunday night slot on Nov. 1 on the evening of the flex deadline.
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