Marshawn Lynch defends Jalen Hurts as NFL reviews blood clot case
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- The NFL and the players union said on Sunday they will review the Jalen Hurts case together.
- Marshawn Lynch pushed back when Michael Robinson questioned Hurts on a podcast.
- Hurts is out for the rest of the season and cannot play until he stops blood thinners.
Marshawn Lynch is trending in United States searches this weekend. The reason is tied to Jalen Hurts. Lynch defended Hurts on a podcast after another former player questioned his injury.
Now the NFL and the players union will review the whole case together.
This is a new step in a story that started weeks ago. It is not just about one podcast clip. It is about how a serious health problem was handled.
It is also about what players say in public before they know all the facts.
This article is for information only and is not medical advice.
What happened
The NFL and the NFL Players Association released a joint statement on Sunday, October 25, 2026. They said they are working together to review the matter. The matter is the case of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Reuters reported the joint statement first in this round of coverage. NBC Sports also reported the same statement on Sunday morning. Both outlets used the same key words.
The league and the union are reviewing the matter together.
Hurts was placed on injured reserve. He is expected to miss the rest of the season. A blood clot in his left calf started as a surface clot.
It then became a deep vein clot. It later caused blood clots in each lung.
Hurts is 28 years old. He will not take part in any football work until he is off blood thinners. That rule comes from his treatment plan.
Blood thinners help stop new clots. They also raise the risk of bleeding if a player takes a hit.
The Eagles said Hurts took a cleat to his calf area. That happened in a game against the Los Angeles Rams on October 4. Hurts told the team medical staff about the injury after practice on October 8. He was back at practice the next day. He then played against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 11.
That London game is now the centre of the review. The team had found a surface blood clot before the game. Hurts still got medical clearance to play.
The league and the union now want to look at that sequence in full.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke about the case on Wednesday. He spoke at league meetings in New York. He said the Eagles and the NFL followed all needed protocol.
He said Hurts health was the central focus.
Dr. Allen Sills is the league chief medical officer. He also defended the Eagles and the NFL.
He pushed back on claims of selfish motives. He was testy about those claims, according to Reuters. The union had pushed for an investigation into what took place before Hurts took the field.
Rive News covered the first news of the lung clots on October 20. That report said Hurts was out for the season. This new report is the next step.
It is the joint review, not the first diagnosis.
Why Lynch spoke up
Michael Robinson is a former NFL player and analyst. He questioned Hurts injury situation on television. He suggested Hurts might be using the injury to step back from team struggles.
Pro Football Network reported that remark.
Days later, Hurts was diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs. Robinson then faced heavy backlash. Fans and other former players said the remark was unfair.
Robinson later tried to explain himself on the Da Get Got podcast. Lynch hosts that podcast with Robinson. On the show, Robinson said he should not have spoken about Hurts injury.
He said his first take was wrong.
Robinson said he had looked at the team picture at the time. He said he did not have four running backs. He said three of five starting linemen were hurt.
He said the top receiver from last year had left. He said the second receiver was hurt. He said that was the information he had.
Lynch did not accept that excuse. He told Robinson he sounded like he was trying to clean up his words. He said Robinson often talks down about the Eagles.
He said Philadelphia fans would not take that kindly.
Fans backed Lynch after the clip spread. Pro Football Network quoted fan posts from X. One fan called Lynch a national treasure.
Another fan wrote that they love Beast Mode. Beast Mode is Lynch well known nickname. A third fan said Beast Mode always tells the truth.
Robinson later retracted the take on social media. Pro Football Network reported his apology. Robinson called his comments unfounded.
He said he never should have speculated on a player health issue. He said he never should have doubted Hurts commitment to the team.
Pro Football Network also reported that Hurts is clinically stable. That report said Hurts is on blood thinners to treat the clots. That matches the Reuters account of his treatment.
Why it matters
This case has two separate lessons. The first lesson is about player health. The second lesson is about public talk.
On health, the timeline matters most. A surface clot was found before a long flight. Hurts then flew to London.
He played a full game. He then flew back. NBC Sports raised those steps as open questions.
It asked if each step was handled in the right way.
Those are questions, not proven faults. The joint review must answer them. It must check the diagnosis at each stage.
It must check the clearance to play. It must check the travel plan. Until that review ends, no one can say what went wrong, if anything did.
On public talk, the lesson is simpler. A health claim needs facts first. Robinson spoke before the full diagnosis was public.
He later said he was wrong. Lynch called him out in plain words. Fans praised Lynch for that pushback.
The case also shows why unions exist in sport. The NFLPA wanted an investigation. The NFL first defended the process.
Now both sides will review it together. That joint work is rare. It signals that both sides want the same facts on the table.
Hurts record shows why the loss hits Philadelphia hard. He is a three time Pro Bowl pick. He was the most valuable player of Super Bowl LIX.
He has a 59-28 record as a starter since late in his rookie season in 2020. He has thrown for 18,824 yards with 118 touchdowns and 48 interceptions. He has rushed for 3,661 yards and 64 touchdowns.
This season, he played five games. The Eagles went 2-3 in those games. He completed 57.8 percent of his passes.
He threw for 933 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Those numbers stop here for this season. His health comes first now.
Marshall Faulk also shared a major health update this month. Faulk is another former star running back. His story, like this one, shows how fast a health story can change.
It also shows why careful words matter when a player health is at stake.
What happens next
NBC Sports reported one key legal detail. The union has not yet used its solo right to investigate. That right comes from the collective bargaining agreement.
It is Article 39, Section 5(f) of that agreement. The union could still use that right later.
For now, the joint review comes first. NBC Sports said some form of investigation is inevitable. That means more facts will come out.
It does not mean a fault has been found yet.
The review will likely look at medical records and clearance steps. It will likely look at who knew what, and when. It will likely look at travel and game day choices.
No date has been given for the review to end. No outcome has been promised.
Hurts will stay off the field until his treatment ends. He cannot return while he is on blood thinners. That is a medical rule, not a team choice.
His return date will depend on his doctors, not on the standings.
The Eagles must play on without their starting quarterback. They lost to the Panthers in a recent game, as Rive News reported in the Panthers win over Philadelphia. That loss shows the gap Hurts leaves behind.
The team must now adjust its whole attack.
Lynch will likely keep talking about the case on his podcast. Robinson has already apologised. The fan reaction suggests many listeners want straight talk.
They want former players to wait for facts before they judge an injury.
The next update may come from the league or the union. It may come as a short statement. It may come as a full report.
Until then, the facts above are the full public record. Anything beyond them would be guesswork, and this report will not guess.
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