The NFL has answered the senator who asked how it handled Jalen Hurts’ blood clots. In a response released by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s office on Friday, Nov. 13, the league said independent medical experts chosen by both the NFL and the NFL Players Association will review the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s case and share their conclusions and recommendations with both sides.
The league also disclosed that it has tracked clotting disorders among players every season for at least a decade, and said that once the review is done it will consider whether the Hurts case calls for new league-wide guidance. The review itself has still not formally begun.
Independent medical experts playing a role in Jalen Hurts joint review, NFL says:
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) November 13, 2026
What the NFL told the senator
The reply came from Jeff Miller, the league’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and health policy, more than three weeks after Blunt Rochester wrote to Roger Goodell on Oct. 21 with five questions about blood clot protocols and the Eagles’ handling of Hurts.
“The League’s highest priority is the health and safety of players,” Miller wrote. “With respect to the circumstances of Mr. Hurts’ diagnosis, as you may know, the NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to conduct a joint review of the circumstances related to his injury. As outlined by the league and NFLPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, mutually agreed-upon independent medical experts will review the matter and share their conclusions and recommendations with both parties.”
On tracking, he said the league and union have several medical committees that watch player injury data. “For at least the past decade, the NFL has tracked clotting disorders among players every season through a subcommittee of its General Medical Committee, and this information is shared with the NFLPA,” Miller wrote. “Following the ongoing joint review, the League and NFLPA will consider appropriate next steps, including whether this case points to a need for additional league-wide guidance.”
He closed by offering to work with the senator: “We welcome the opportunity to provide additional information, and find ways to support your efforts around raising awareness and improving outcomes related to blood clot disorders.”
What the response leaves open
The letter does not go question by question. Blunt Rochester had asked whether the league has a protocol for detecting, preventing and treating deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, what standards govern a player’s clearance when a clot is suspected, what education players, trainers and coaches receive, what the league does about clot risk on long flights, and who cleared Hurts to play in London and then to fly home across the Atlantic. The published reply does not name a league-wide clot protocol, and it does not say who cleared Hurts.
It also does not name the experts, set a start date or say whether their findings will be made public. Tim McManus reported that the NFL and NFLPA are still working out the parameters of the review. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the neutral physicians must deliver a written report within 60 days of being selected, and both sides must act on their recommendations. As we explained when the review was announced on Oct. 25, the agreement also allows up to 60 days to pick the experts, so the whole process could take as long as four months.
The union has not invoked Article 39 of the agreement, which would let it open its own formal investigation into the medical care provided by club personnel, though the joint review borrows from those rules. The NFLPA called for a “full investigation” on Oct. 20, a day before Goodell said the league “welcomes” a review.
The senator wants more
Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat who sits on the Senate’s health and commerce committees, thanked the league but said she will keep pressing. Her husband, Charles Rochester, died of blood clots, and she has pushed legislation on prevention and treatment named after him.
“I’m grateful for an update on the NFL’s review of Mr. Hurts’ diagnosis and for information on the League’s efforts to track clotting disorders in its athletes,” she said. “While I appreciate the NFL’s transparency, I encourage its leadership to use this moment to increase awareness of DVT and PE to better protect its players and support public health. Every year, over 100,000 Americans are affected by blood clots, but with the NFL’s reach and influence, we can increase education and help save lives.”
“I’m hopeful that this unfortunate incident can become a force for good, leading to lasting change within the league and our healthcare system at large,” she added. “I will continue following up with the NFL to ensure this situation is treated with the diligence and care it deserves.”
How the Hurts case got here
Hurts, 28, had an ultrasound in London before the Eagles’ Week 5 game against the Jaguars that found a superficial blood clot in his leg. The team’s medical staff cleared him, he played, flew home with the team and practiced fully the following Wednesday. A follow-up ultrasound that evening showed the clot had moved. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 17, and two days later the Eagles and his agent, Nicole Lynn, said the diagnosis was deep vein thrombosis with bilateral pulmonary emboli.
He is on blood thinners, which rule out contact football, and is expected to miss the rest of the season. The joint statement in October said his prognosis is very good and that he should be able to resume contact activities once he is off the medication. How the Eagles went from 2-0 to 2-5 around his diagnosis is laid out in our step-by-step look at their lost month.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.