Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid looks on before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Oct 11, 2026; Tottenham, ENG; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) takes the snap against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2026 NFL London Games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves facing scrutiny from both fans as well as the NFLPA for their handling of star quarterback Jalen Hurts‘ blood clots, and former head coach Andy Reid isn’t helping their case.
According to the Eagles, Hurts developed superficial clots after getting cleated during a game against the Carolina Panthers. The team discovered the clots when Hurts complained about pain in his leg after the Eagles arrived in London for their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
At the time, Hurts was diagnosed only with superficial clots and was cleared to both play in the game and travel back to the United States afterward.
However, the clots eventually migrated to Hurts’ lungs, and he was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis. While his long-term prognosis is positive, Hurts was placed on blood thinners and is expected to miss the rest of the NFL season.
After the incident, the team sent out only head coach Nick Sirianni to answer questions. Understandably, he wasn’t able to give the most comprehensive answers.
Nick Sirianni was asked how much he expects Jalen Hurts to be around the team moving forward: https://t.co/MvskJbFx7L
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) October 22, 2026
Andy Reid Takes A Far Different Approach To Injury Info Than The Philadelphia Eagles
Not only were Eagles fans frustrated that the team potentially put Hurts’ life in danger, but they were also upset that Sirianni was sent out to fall on the sword for team doctors rather than a member of the training staff or a team executive.
While it’s important to note that Hurts was initially diagnosed by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in London, not Philadelphia’s training staff, their handling of the situation is in stark contrast to the way the Kansas City Chiefs are handling updates on starting left tackle Josh Simmons.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid continues the practice he started in Philadelphia of making head trainer Rick Burkholder available to reporters when there is an injury/medical issue that requires more explanation than he can provide.
The #Eagles, meanwhile, have issued just 220- and 178-word statements about Jalen Hurts’ blood clot(s), and have only had HC Nick Sirianni, during regularly-scheduled news conferences, field questions about the handling of Hurts, in which he has generally only deferred to those statements.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 22, 2026
Simmons has been out since the start of the season with a back injury. On Thursday, Chiefs head trainer Rick Burkholder met with the media and explained more about the ongoing situation.
That continues a practice that Reid put in place during his time in Philadelphia, where he makes the head trainer available to reporters if there are injury questions he’s not capable of answering.
Perhaps it’s time for the Eagles to take a cue from their former head coach.