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NFL and players' union working together to review the handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis

Sport

NFL and players' union working together to review the handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis
Sport

Sport

NFL and players' union working together to review the handling of Jalen Hurts' blood clot diagnosis

2026-10-25 21:51 Last Updated At:22:01

The NFL and NFL Players Association are working together to review the handling of Jalen Hurts’ blood clot diagnosis.

The league and players’ union released a joint statement Sunday saying they are looking into it after the NFLPA called for an investigation earlier in the week.

Hurts was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season after a blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs. The Eagles and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.

His treatment involves blood thinners, and Hurts will not be allowed to participate in any football activities until he is off them.

Earlier in the week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league welcomed an investigation after Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, gave a passionate defense of the team’s medical staff.

The Eagles previously said Hurts was injured when he took a cleat to his calf area on Oct. 4 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Hurts informed the medical staff of the injury after practice on Oct. 8. The Super Bowl 59 MVP was back at practice the next day before the team left for London to play Jacksonville. Hurts was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis but played against Jacksonville on Oct. 11.

“Obviously, there was a medical evaluation, and I think our protocols were incredibly good there,” Goodell said Wednesday. “The protocols were followed. Our process is to make sure that’s the case, and our chief medical officer has gone through that, so we’re comfortable that what we’ve seen in the protocols have happened.”

AP Sports Writers Stephen Whyno and Dan Gelston contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

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)

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)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) attends a press conference after an NFL football game against Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) attends a press conference after an NFL football game against Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

After weeks of assailing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in rallies across the country, President Donald Trump on Sunday is bringing his midterm barnstorming to Michigan, where Republicans see a chance to pick up an open seat on Election Day.

El-Sayed, a onetime public health official, faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman backed by Trump in the Nov. 3 race to succeed retiring Democrat Gary Peters.

“We don't want to see a jihadist senator,” Trump told reporters as he left for Michigan. “We don’t want to see a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in our center.”

El-Sayed has repeatedly disavowed unproven claims by Republicans that he is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement with branches that the U.S. government has designated as terrorist organizations. The claims by Republicans have been denounced by Democrats as attacks on El-Sayed's faith and his Egyptian heritage. El-Sayed would be the first Muslim senator if elected.

Trump’s planned visit to Port Huron follows former Democrat President Barack Obama's appearances Saturday in Michigan and Ohio for his party's candidates. It will be Trump's latest stop on a packed campaign schedule to bolster Republicans on the midterm ballot as the GOP is weighed down by voters' frustration with the economy and the war with Iran.

Unlike Trump’s earlier trips to Republican-controlled states where his party is on defense, the GOP has not won a Senate race in Michigan for more than three decades. El-Sayed has taunted Trump, encouraging him to come to Michigan in the belief that a visit would backfire on Rogers.

“Donald, if you’re watching, don’t wuss out, man,” El-Sayed said. The progressive, who won a divisive primary in August, has said the country needs to “turn the page on Donald Trump.”

The campaign has been one of the most contentious this year.

During their second and final general election campaign debate, Rogers questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the United States.

“Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” Rogers asked.

El-Sayed said that questioning was “shameful.”

“I’m proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray,” he said.

Rogers denied that his criticisms were rooted in religion, saying “you can pray any way you want.”

Trump has referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed” and said he “goes back to the days of the jihad.”

El-Sayed has faced criticism for his own rhetoric, particularly when he said “hurt people hurt people” after an attack on a synagogue in the Detroit area. The attacker had lost four relatives in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon the week earlier. El-Sayed later apologized, saying he was not trying to justify what happened.

“To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry," he said. "That was not my intention.”

The significance of El-Sayed’s candidacy has grown beyond Michigan, with Republicans casting him as a symbol of a radicalizing Democratic Party. Meanwhile, progressives hope that he will help demonstrate their clout in a swing state, which could shape how the 2028 presidential primary unfolds.

El-Sayed previously served as a public health official in Detroit’s Wayne County and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.

Rogers lost the 2024 Senate race to then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin by less than a percentage point.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Former President Barack Obama, center, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson raise hands during a campaign event at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Former President Barack Obama, center, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson raise hands during a campaign event at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan Democratic candidate, for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan Democratic candidate, for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Cass Technical High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers appears during a campaign event Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers appears during a campaign event Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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