While the NFL hopes to turn the page on the Jalen Hurts conversation, thanks to a full day of football starting with another bruising pregame play at 9:30 a.m. ET, there will be other developments that will prompt further scrutiny of the situation.
The most immediate development will be the “full investigation” that the NFL Players Association has referred to but has not officially launched.
Consider the precise terms of the statement released Tuesday by the NFLPA: “The NFLPA is not aware of any investigation by the NFL into the medical care provided to Jalen Hurts,” the union said. “In fact, the league had previously informed the union that it had no plans to review the care he received. Before drawing any conclusions about how this situation was handled, there must be a full investigation in what happened. Determining the facts is essential to ensuring that players receive the highest level of care and protection in the future.
Although the NFLPA has the power under Article 39, Section 5(f) of the collective bargaining agreement to trigger an investigation, a statement reacting to the league’s knee-jerk approval of the medical care provided to Hurts by emphasizing that a “full investigation” is necessary before conclusions can be drawn is very different from a formal activation of the investigation envisioned by the CBA. There is currently no reason to believe that there will not be a thorough investigation, whatever the process. But no investigation has been opened, at least not yet.
Looming over any investigation conducted or initiated by the NFLPA is the possibility of the ultimate external investigation: litigation. Although the CBA limits the player’s ability to sue the team and/or league in court, the doctors are honest. Three years ago, for example, former Eagles safety Chris Maragos won a $43.5 million verdict in a malpractice case against Dr. James Bradley and Rothman Orthopedics Associates for surgery to correct a torn meniscus and subsequent injury rehabilitation. (The price was later confirmed on appeal.)
Most recently, former Browns wide receiver David Bell sued Dr. William Meyers and others over a muscle repair that allegedly led to a career-ending injury to Bell’s femoral artery.
“We undertook a year-long investigation into this issue during which a number of world-renowned surgeons and radiologists looked into the matter, and many of them did so for free. The results were nothing short of astonishing and give us a high degree of confidence in our ability to prove that the hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to Dr. Bill Meyers, Dr. Adam Zoga, Jefferson and the Vincera Institute to perform these surgeries were prioritized over the basic medical principle of First Do No. Harm, as we alleged in the complaint,” Bell’s lead attorney, Brad Sohn, said in a press release.
Hurts has a potential lawsuit against the doctors who provided him with care, independent of any more limited rights against the Eagles or the league. Although it could get complicated, especially if Hurts has to take legal action in the United States. And in England — ‘superficial’ blood clot in leg resulting from cleat in Week 4 game vs. Rams developed deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in each lung.
It’s fair for Hurts to question whether the medical care he received caused or contributed to the situation escalating into something both serious and life-threatening. And the possible impact of the situation on his career is currently unknown.
The only prudent approach would be to investigate all aspects of the situation from the time Hurts suffered the initial injury to the time the “bilateral pulmonary embolism” was diagnosed. Even though the Eagles and Hurts continue to be on the same page, Hurts can still assert his rights against the various doctors who may have handled the situation in a way that did not meet the required standard of care.
Either way, this one is far from over. One way or another, the answers that the Eagles and the league will not provide to the public must be sought through one or more investigative processes. And litigation is the best way for Hurts to obtain any compensation he may be owed for an outcome that could have been completely avoidable.
Gn sports
