Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts joins list of athletes diagnosed with blood clots

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles is the latest professional athlete to endure blood clots, joining Victor Wembanyama, Chris Bosh, Damian Lillard and others.

The one-time Super Bowl MVP is expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots in his lungs, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the health matter.

Hurts was placed on injured reserve Saturday, two days after the team revealed he has a blood clot in his calf. The Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, released more information on his condition Monday. They said Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning a blood clot has traveled to the lungs.

The diagnosis brought new attention to the condition, its risks and treatments, while raising questions about why so many athletes have been diagnosed with blood clots in recent years.

Here are some answers:

DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, is the term for a blood clot that forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower legs. Sometimes it can break off and travel into the lungs, lodging in a blood vessel to block blood flow. That’s called a pulmonary embolism and it can be life-threatening.

Any number of things can cause deep vein thrombosis, ranging from immobility and trauma to family history and dehydration. Symptoms include inexplicable swelling and discoloration or pain, or some combination of those factors, and experts say the worry is the clot traveling through the bloodstream, causing a pulmonary embolism or death.

“When you have a DVT in the leg or the arm, there’s a chance that it will break free, and when it breaks free, it can end up lodged in the lung,” Mary Cushman, a hematologist and professor of medicine at the University of Vermont, has said. “And if it’s large enough, that can kill a person.”

Taking blood thinners is the most common course of action. Sometimes surgery is involved or blood thinners for the long term. Hurts' treatment involves blood thinners, and he will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.

Richard Ricciardi, a professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing, said there is no evidence to suggest elite athletes are more predisposed to blood clots than those of comparable ages in the general population.

“I do not believe there are any large-scale studies that compare elite athletes with non-athletes,” Ricciardi said. “Athletes are generally considered low risk for blood clots, but they face a cluster of sport-specific risk factors, so they may have a higher risk than expected for young, fit people.

“High-contact sports theoretically could raise blood clot risk, primarily through collision and trauma-induced blood vessel wall injury,” he added. “But to my knowledge no studies directly quantify how much contact sports increase risk versus noncontact sports.”

The risk for people in their 20s and 30s of developing deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism is one in 10,000.

One potential reason blood disorders may come to light more often with elite athletes, though, is the amount of medical care they are provided with on a regular basis.

“Frequent long-haul air travel plausibly increases blood clot risk in elite athletes, but to my knowledge no athlete-specific studies have been conducted,” Ricciardi said. “Risk is greatest in flights of eight hours or more. However, the risk per flight remains low in healthy, fit individuals, and risk is concentrated in those with additional health risk factors.”

Here's a look at other athletes who have had blood clots:

His 2024-25 season ended after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. The 7-foot-4 phenom from France bounced back last season, finishing third in NBA MVP voting and winning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award as he led the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals.

The nine-time NBA All-Star scored 16 points with the Milwaukee Bucks on March 18, 2025, and about a week later the team said he had deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard returned for the playoffs and tore his Achilles tendon, an injury that kept him out of the lineup last season in his return to Portland.

A decade earlier, blood clots ended the career of the Basketball Hall of Famer. He was averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 33.5 minutes during the 2015-16 season and had just arrived in Toronto for that year’s All-Star Game when a clot in one of his legs was discovered at the age of 31.

The NBA All-Defensive team player missed the last month of his rookie season two years ago with a blood clot. He was not cleared to play during the first month of his second season while he worked through a medical process with the NBA and the players' union.

The current No. 1 player in women's golf missed four months in 2022 — the year after she won her first major title — because of a blood clot in her left arm that required surgery.

Nearly three years ago, the Carolina Hurricanes goaltender had medical tests that found blood clots. He played for the Hurricanes last season as they won the Stanley Cup and is currently recovering from a knee injury with the Edmonton Oilers.

The right-hander, who has had blood clots, has bounced back from his bouts to pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks, going 10-14 in 29 starts last season.

The New England Patriots defensive tackle was limited to four games during the 2024 season after he had blood clots. He started 15 games last season and has played in five this year with the Patriots.

“I could have lost my life,” Barmore said.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, and AP Sports Writers Larry Lage in Detroit and Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore, left, sacks New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson (9) defends Toronto Raptors guard Alijah Martin (55) in the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game in Detroit, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) brings the ball up the court against Golden State Warriors guard Will Richard, right, during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Ali Gradischer)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts to a play during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in San Antonio, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) stands on the field during an NFL football game against Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifth-generation Kansas farmer Glenn Brunkow describes this time of year as “go time,” when farmers are combining fields, hauling crops to town and moving livestock from summer pastures to their winter homes.

But this harvest season, they’re doing it with diesel prices more than $2.50 per gallon higher than a year ago, adding to financial pressures from rising costs, unpredictable markets and shrinking profits.

“It seems like it’s coming at us from all directions,” said Brunkow, president of the Kansas Farm Bureau.

The economic strain is becoming a growing political concern for Republicans in states they have long dominated. President Donald Trump appeared in Kansas on Monday and will go to Iowa later in the week, the latest in a series of stops where he's trying to energize his base in the final weeks before the midterm elections.

“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend please that I’m on the ballot," Trump told the Kansas crowd. He spoke for well over an hour, with protesters interrupting him several times.

The visits come as Republicans pour money into Senate races in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa amid concerns about voter enthusiasm. The anxiety may be especially notable in Kansas — a state Trump won by 16 percentage points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 — as Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a tough challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton. Democrats have not won a Senate election in Kansas in 94 years.

Hamilton, the founder of the nation’s largest United Methodist church, has attracted Republican support in his Senate bid, including endorsements from two former GOP governors. In a video statement ahead of Trump’s visit, Hamilton said it was “an honor” to welcome a sitting president to Kansas.

"I want Kansans to know that if you voted for the president, you also have a place in my campaign,” he added.

Brunkow, whose organization endorsed Marshall, said he’s been asked many times whether the economic frustrations could drive Republican farmers to vote for Democrats.

“I don’t think it necessarily does that,” Brunkow said. “But I think it dampens the enthusiasm for agriculture producers to get to the polls.”

Don Hineman, a western Kansas rancher and former Republican state House majority leader, said he’s seeing growing frustration among GOP voters beyond just farmers, including some who have supported Trump in multiple elections.

He said farmers understand that Trump’s tariffs have hurt their businesses and are upset over the ongoing war with Iran. Immigration has also become a source of concern, particularly after recent immigration raids in western Kansas that resulted in the detention of more than 100 people.

“We need a secure border — we can all agree on that,” Hineman said. “But we also need workable immigration policy that provides the workforce that the United States has always depended on and will always continue to need.”

Hineman said the traditional Republican argument in Kansas — that electing Democrats would empower the party’s liberal wing — is losing its effectiveness with some voters, including himself.

“I am tired of being persuaded by charges that the boogeyman is going to get us,” he said. “I am so fed up with the Republican Party and their willingness to play sycophant to our current commander in chief that I’m willing to consider alternatives.”

Debbie Geneva, 61, of Nortonville, Kansas, said she was impressed by Hamilton after he visited a local market to meet people, something she hasn't seen Marshall do. She's never voted for a Democrat, she said, but remains undecided about the Senate race.

“I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my entire life, so that’s a little scary for me to be undecided,” said Geneva. "I told one of my friends that, and they can’t believe it, but that’s just the way I feel right now.”

Geneva said rising costs for healthcare and everyday expenses have added to her frustrations.

“And then of course the trade agreements," she added. “The Republicans haven’t done the Midwest any favors with that.”

Farmers have spent months feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared due to refinery constraints and supply disruptions tied to the Iran war.

Diesel averaged $6.30 per gallon nationwide on Friday, more than 70% higher than a year ago, according to motor club AAA. The surge has been especially painful during harvest season, when farmers depend heavily on fuel to operate machinery and transport crops.

“This is a time of year when we use a lot of fuel, and there just isn’t much we can do,” Brunkow said. “The margins are tight, and anything that cuts into that margin really hurts.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that net farm income will decline by 2.6% this year as production expenses rise by 4.5%. Fuel and oil expenses alone are expected to jump nearly 30%, according to the agency’s September forecast.

Trump said Monday night that the Department of Agriculture will be launching a new harvest fuel relief program, claiming it will provide $8 billion in support for farmers to offset diesel costs.

“When Republicans win, we will pass even more funding for our farmers. We love our farmers,” Trump said.

Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to ease limits on the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel, a decision he said would save “millions” for farmers. That came after a $12 billion aid package for farmers announced by the Trump administration in December.

But those efforts have not erased frustrations among some farmers who expected their financial outlook to improve under Trump.

Brunkow said many farmers “thought it would be better” under Trump.

“He’s made some unforced errors," said Brunkow.

Trump will travel on Thursday to Iowa, where Republicans are defending competitive races for governor and Senate. The state, which Trump has carried in three consecutive presidential elections, is another agricultural stronghold where economic frustrations have become part of the political debate.

In Nebraska, Senate Republicans have poured nearly $15 million into a race between GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent candidate Dan Osborn, an unprecedented amount for a state Trump won by 20 percentage points in 2024.

David McIntosh, president of the influential Club for Growth, said his group has kept a close eye on the heavy agriculture states since summer and acknowledged concerns about a drop-off in enthusiasm. His group is spending millions of dollars for GOP candidates in Kansas, Nebraska and elsewhere.

“Farmers are squeezed between higher input prices and less of an international market because of retaliatory tariffs,” McIntosh said. “The economic environment has not been good.”

Democrats, meanwhile, see an opportunity in the economic frustrations, even in states where they have struggled to win statewide elections.

Former Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who lost reelection in 2024, said there is “no doubt” that Democrats will perform better than expected in agricultural states.

“These guys got to pay bills at the end of the month, and for a number of months now it’s been hard to do,” said Tester. “This is way beyond politics.”

Cappelletti reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Nick Ingram and Collin Binkley contributed to this report.

Police remove a protester as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Police remove a protester as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Ted Nugent speaks before President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., claps before President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Park City, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Adam Hamilton, right, the Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, answers questions posed by Bob Ross, left, the president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, during a Meet the Candidate event sponsored by the chamber, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Adam Hamilton, right, Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, speaks with Curtis Sneden, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, at a Meet the Candidate event sponsored by the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Dalton Municipal Airport, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Dalton Ga. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)