Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni holds news conference following Hurts' blood clot diagnosis

[0:00] The current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. [0:06] He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations. [0:11] His treatment should only involve blood thinners. [0:14] Now, during this time, he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football. [0:21] The statement goes on to say, Jalen's prognosis is very good and we expect a full recovery. [0:26] We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners. [0:35] In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. [0:40] And more importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects. [0:45] We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery. [0:50] That is the entirety of the statement released by his agent earlier this morning. [0:54] CBS News Philadelphia Sports Director Don Bell joining us now. [0:59] Don, this is not the news. [1:01] Eagles fans wanted to hear, of course, our thoughts are certainly with Jalen and his recovery at this point. [1:06] But there's a lot of shock that comes with this announcement today. [1:08] Yeah, Natasha, good to be with you as always. [1:10] But, yeah, tons of shock when you consider this scenario. [1:14] Listen, in this business, you know, when you cover guys and when you cover sports, you're so used to talking about injuries like ACLs and groin injuries, et cetera. [1:25] But when you hear the term blood clot, certainly it makes you raise your eyebrow because of the seriousness of the scenario. [1:32] And particularly with Jalen Hurts, it's kind of been a drip method, so to speak, in terms of information coming from the team about how this all came to be. [1:42] Obviously, he did play against the Jaguars in London. [1:46] And, you know, going into that game, we knew that he had a calf issue at the time. [1:51] We didn't know what it was, but obviously later on, through a statement from the team later that week after they lost that game in Jacksonville, [1:58] we then discovered that he had an ultrasound when the team arrived in London before the game. [2:04] And that's when they discovered that it was a superficial blood clot causing the issue with the calf, right? [2:11] Leading up to that game, he practiced in full, which is customary for players, even if they have bumps and bruises along the way. [2:19] Obviously, they lose that game. [2:20] They have the seven-plus-hour flight back to Philadelphia. [2:23] And then he practices again in full the next Wednesday. [2:27] And then it was the following day, Thursday, that we heard the news that a superficial blood clot was discovered. [2:34] And, of course, they decided that he was not going to play the following game and then eventually paced on injured reserve and out for four games at the minimum. [2:43] So here we are now with this latest breaking news, and it appears that his season is done. [2:49] And, obviously, you know, we're here in Philadelphia. [2:51] We love football. [2:52] We love the team. [2:53] And we like to talk about what's going on with football. [2:56] But in this scenario, you're really worried about his long-term health, right, based on what we know. [3:02] I mean, thankfully, through that statement, Natasha, they say that he is set to make a full recovery through the help, obviously, of medical attention. [3:10] But, you know, this brings up a lot of questions about what the Eagles knew and when they knew it. [3:18] Yeah, that's what I was going to say, Don. [3:20] I mean, obviously, this is something that started a couple weeks ago when they were playing in London before he even left Philadelphia to go play that game. [3:28] If there was any question about whether this could have progressed into something more, I would think they would have erred on the side of caution. [3:33] But, again, we're still waiting to get more information here just about, you know, the timeline ultimately surrounding this and what they thought it was at the time. [3:43] And I guess they didn't think it was serious enough to pull him out of that game. [3:46] So let's talk about this because we did see in that statement from his agent that she said that he was still going to be around the team, you know, conditioning. [3:54] Tell us about what that means. [3:55] I mean, he's not going to be out of sight in a sense. [3:57] Yeah, I mean, also in that statement, they obviously say that he's not allowed to play contact sports, right? [4:01] Okay, that goes without saying. [4:03] But, you know, in sports terms, when you talk about conditioning, you talk about your physical fitness in terms of whether it's running, your cardio work, and basic things like that. [4:12] So I think light work is the way that I would describe it. [4:16] And, you know, that's good, I suppose. [4:20] You know, I'm not a doctor, but at least it sounds like he can be somewhat physically active. [4:24] He just can't play the sport that he loves and the sport that he has paid handsomely to play. [4:31] So that is a scenario. [4:33] But, Natasha, you know, when we talk about, you know, the Eagles in terms of what they knew and when they knew it, that really is the big question, right? [4:41] Especially when they arrived in London and he has this superficial blood clot discovered, there is a report out there that we're trying to chase down more information on that says that Jalen was up for reportedly 36 plus hours and that he was told that he should stay up in order to be safe. [5:02] Okay. [5:02] And so the question then becomes, like, who, where did he get that information from? [5:09] Like, did that come from the team? [5:11] Did it come from his own medical consultations with others? [5:15] I mean, it's not unusual that players, especially of his status, may have their own consultation with doctors, right? [5:23] Their own people that they consult with because, you know, you don't make $50 million a year to just rely on other people for information. [5:29] So, you know, when we finally have an opportunity to talk to Nick Sirianni, who is scheduled to speak now, you know, that is a question that certainly we're going to ask. [5:38] Like, where did he get that information from? [5:40] And is it true that he was in the ER and the hours leading up to that game? [5:45] And if so, if both of those things are true, why was he allowed to play the game? [5:50] Why was he allowed to play the game? [5:51] You know, I mean, even if medically, you know, doctors say that maybe it was safe for him to play with a superficial blood clot, is it wise to have your franchise quarterback playing with no rest, 36-plus hours being up after being in the ER? [6:06] Doesn't sound wise. [6:07] So, again, we have a lot of questions at this point. [6:10] Yeah. [6:11] And, you know, Don, we've been getting reaction today as well. [6:14] As you can imagine, this is pretty shocking and quite the blow for fans who are hearing this as well today. [6:19] We know that the phones were lighting up at WIP Sports Radio when the news dropped there. [6:24] We heard from former Eagle and WIP Radio host Hugh Douglas, his thoughts on this. [6:31] Can we take a listen to that, Jackie? [6:33] Can we get that sound on? [6:35] Now, given the news that Jalen's not going to play for the rest of the season, it's probably more definite now that this has changed the course of the Philadelphia Eagles. [6:44] I don't know what that means. [6:45] We don't know what's going to happen, and the Eagles are in a position that potentially they can get another quarterback. [6:51] So everything is up in the air right now. [6:53] When you hear it and you hear about blood clots, nobody thinks that that's serious. [6:57] And initially, I thought the same thing. [6:58] But then I remembered Chris Bosh was a guy who his career was cut short because of blood clots. [7:05] So you just hope, you pray to God that Jalen's going to be okay. [7:07] All right, Don, so you're hearing there Hugh Douglas chiming in, former Eagle, you know, hoping and praying for the best for Jalen Hurts. [7:16] And again, we're seeing that statement from his agent who says he's got a great prognosis at this point. [7:21] He's being treated by the best, as you can imagine. [7:24] Just your thoughts, though, hearing Hugh Douglas and the concern that he has. [7:27] Yeah, I mean, I think that he was spot on with the concern, right? [7:30] I remember Chris Bosh, and for those who don't know, a heck of a player who played with LeBron in Miami and other places, you know, a multiple-time NBA champion. [7:40] And he was fantastic when he played. [7:41] But, yeah, his career was cut short. [7:44] And so, you know, that's, once again, why we're so concerned about this. [7:47] I mean, not necessarily for Jalen Hurts as the player, but Jalen Hurts as the person, right? [7:54] Like, what does this do for his life? [7:56] I mean, and that's something that, you know, you have deep concern about, right? [8:02] You know, after six-plus years of playing in this league, seven years now, I can't remember. [8:06] I think he was drafted in 2020. [8:08] You know, his resume is incredible, right? [8:10] Two trips to the Super Bowl with a championship under his belt. [8:15] Outplayed Patrick Mahomes both times he was there. [8:18] And so, you take a look at what he has meant to this franchise and really to this city. [8:21] You know, your heart certainly goes out to he, his wife, his family, et cetera, when dealing with this particular issue. [8:31] And I just, you know, we've been fortunate enough to hear from fans all day long. [8:37] I know that we went out and we talked to fans on the streets about this. [8:39] And people are not only concerned for Jalen, but they have questions about the birds, right? [8:43] Like, how did we get here, right? [8:48] Like, how did we get to this point? [8:50] And could it have been avoided? [8:51] Yeah, I think that's certainly the biggest question here. [8:54] And you just said it hit the nail right on the head there, Don. [8:56] You know, this is much bigger than football. [8:58] I mean, this is about his life, his recovery, and that's what we're all hoping for the best with Jalen. [9:04] I mean, we've come to know and love him. [9:05] I mean, I don't know him personally. [9:07] I know you've talked to him. [9:08] But we're a city who loves our Eagles. [9:10] We love our players. [9:11] You know, we love our team. [9:12] So we're all obviously rooting for the best here. [9:15] And hopefully we'll get a little more information from Nick Sirianni. [9:18] Again, we're waiting for him to speak to reporters in just a bit. [9:21] And we're going to bring that to you live when that happens. [9:24] And, Don, you did mention, too, that we went out earlier today and we did talk to fans. [9:28] Because, as you can imagine, they were as shocked as we were to hear this kind of was the worst-case scenario news that we heard this morning. [9:35] So while we're waiting on Nick Sirianni to get to the podium, maybe we can just give you some idea as to how fans were feeling earlier when we went out on the street to talk to them. [9:48] And we actually have Elliott Shore Parks. [9:51] And I know you're very familiar with him as well, Don. [9:53] He spoke with us as well earlier. [9:55] So let's hear his thoughts while we're waiting on Sirianni. [9:58] It does seem there was an incident that led to this, right? [10:02] The being cleated. [10:03] I've covered the Eagles for 15 years. [10:05] I've never covered a situation like this. [10:07] I guess what I would say, because I'm sure there will be a lot of discussion about how this was handled, the timeline of everything, the flight to London, him playing in the game, whatever led to this, I think the important thing now is they have diagnosed it. [10:21] He will have the best treatment. [10:22] As the statement says, he's expected to make a full recovery. [10:26] And for the person and his family around him, I think that's the most important thing right now. [10:32] Yeah. [10:32] I mean, listen, Natasha. [10:33] I mean, ESP is, you know, he's spot on with that, right? [10:36] We had Elliott on last night, as we typically do in a sports zone following games. [10:41] We had him on our pregame show yesterday. [10:43] And obviously this is all breaking news, but we discussed Jalen at length, right? [10:47] This is, you know, by some accounts was a make or break year for him in terms of getting that next contract from the Eagles. [10:53] He's not in the last year of his deal, but, you know, in sports, as is typical in politics or anything else, you don't want to go into the final year of a deal or, you know, of being elected official, so to speak, as a lame duck, right? [11:07] So this was a year that he was going to be eligible for somewhat of a large, hefty extension. [11:14] So, you know, how he performs, how the team performs is very important. [11:19] But this, obviously, you put all of that to the side at this point. [11:23] You put all of it to the side. [11:25] And, you know, for Jalen, Jalen has been, you know, I use this term, you know, because it's heavily used in sports. [11:30] Like, he's been a warrior for this team. [11:33] He's played through injuries, et cetera. [11:34] I mean, you have to be to have played in Alabama, Oklahoma, and have the resume that he has. [11:39] You play through injuries. [11:40] You play through bumps and bruises. [11:42] You always try to show up for your team. [11:44] And I think it is often the case, particularly for football players, they have to be protected from themselves. [11:52] You know what I'm saying, Natasha? [11:53] Like, these guys want to play no matter the situation. [11:57] They view themselves as gladiators. [11:58] And so, you know, I wonder, you know, how much say he had in this, what his thoughts were going into this game in Jacksonville, [12:11] how much he knew, what he thought about the severity and the possibilities of all of this. [12:15] But here we sit on this day at 3.08 on Monday following a game, you know, he has blood clots in his lungs. [12:22] You know, that's, you know, you feel for everybody involved. [12:27] Yeah. [12:27] Like I said, it's really tough to hear. [12:28] I know it's tough on this team, obviously, to hear because we know they've been struggling just coming off of another loss here yesterday without QB1. [12:38] So, you know, we know that they're struggling ultimately. [12:41] And now this has got to be, like I said, a worst-case scenario for them to think about heading into the season without QB1 ultimately. [12:48] So, also, Don, we do want to get your thoughts here, too. [12:51] We just talked to Stephanie Stahl earlier on our newscast at noon. [12:55] She talked to a doctor who was giving some indication of what this injury means, how it will be treated, the length of time possibly it will take to get him back on track. [13:05] And let's listen in to what this doctor had to say, actually. [13:10] Talk to Stephanie Stahl, our health reporter, earlier today. [13:13] If the amount of clot is too much, there could be a backflow effect on the heart, on the right side of the heart, what we call a right ventricle. [13:20] Because the blood is supposed to flow from the heart in the lung and back to the heart like a regular pump. [13:26] And all of a sudden, there's a blockage. [13:28] And that blockage can backtrack and make your heart struggle a bit. [13:32] And you're not supposed to have that in a normal condition. [13:34] So, that could be a significant situation. [13:41] Yeah. [13:42] So, you can hear, you know, just even from a doctor's perspective, I mean, they're going to obviously be taking this one day at a time and continuing to monitor and assess his situation. [13:51] While he's on these blood thinners. [13:53] And again, Don, I guess he's also just talking about blood thinners in general. [13:56] If you know anything about them, I'm clearly no doctor. [13:58] But I think that we ultimately know that when you're on blood thinners, you can't get hit. [14:02] You can't get cut. [14:03] Yes. [14:03] You know, you have to stay away from situations like that. [14:05] Or it could be possibly life-threatening. [14:08] Yeah. [14:08] And listen, I'm going to remind people, you're not allowed to play football. [14:12] Like, even in the NFL, you're not allowed to play on blood thinners, right? [14:16] So, this is a pretty serious situation. [14:19] I mean, you can hear the gravity in that doctor's voice when discussing this at large. [14:24] And, in fact, it's somewhat ironic that the Eagles played the Carolina Panthers yesterday and they had one player on their team, an offensive lineman, that was just returning from dealing with blood clots over the summer. [14:35] Okay? [14:36] So, here we are in October. [14:37] He's playing his first game since dealing with blood clots over the summer. [14:41] So, that just gives you an idea for how long this takes to make a full recovery. [14:44] Now, again, no doctor, but I know that, you know, each person is different. [14:48] The level of severity is different. [14:50] People recover at their own pace. [14:52] But, just for a frame of reference, that, you know, this is something that takes time. [14:56] So, obviously, you know, to see Jalen Hurts done for the season, you just wonder, you know, how long it's going to be before he can return. [15:04] And, you know, you hope that he's able to make a full recovery when he does. [15:08] Yeah. [15:08] And, Don, just to reset everything for viewers who may be just coming into our stream right now, listening to what we're talking about, we're giving an update here on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. [15:17] Expected to be out the rest of the season. [15:20] Just finding out this morning that a blood clot that started in his calf has now traveled to his lungs. [15:27] Head coach Nick Sirianni is going to speak to reporters in just a few minutes. [15:30] We are waiting on that press conference. [15:32] We will take it as soon as it happens. [15:34] And we know that ultimately Hurts agent Nicole Lynn released the statement this morning in conjunction with the Philadelphia Eagles to give us the latest update on Jalen's health. [15:46] We can read this in part if we have to while we're reading on Sirianni's presser. [15:50] Quote, Jalen was initially diagnosed by specialists in London with a left calf superficial vein thrombosis. [15:56] After further testing and monitoring the current diagnosis is a deep vein thrombosis, which, of course, every doctor would say was the worst case scenario. [16:04] We were trying to avoid that, as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli. [16:08] He is clinically stable, according to the statement, and has no significant functional limitations. [16:13] His treatment should only involve blood thinners. [16:17] During this time, he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football. [16:22] Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery. [16:27] We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners. [16:35] In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. [16:39] More importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects. [16:44] This is all good news. [16:45] We are thinking of Jalen and looking forward to a strong recovery. [16:49] So that, again, is what sparked the breaking news this morning, this coming from his agent, giving us a much more in-depth look and idea of the injury that Jalen is dealing with right now and the gravity of it and why he will likely be out, obviously, the rest of the season while he's on blood thinners trying to clear these blood clots in his lungs, Don. [17:08] Yeah, I think that, um, I will say this, right, um, you've been doing this a long time, covering sports for more than 20 years, probably close to 25. [17:18] The Eagles, that first statement they put out disclosing that the superficial blood clot was discovered, that was one of the most thorough statements I had ever seen on an injury. [17:35] So, I, I will give them some measure of credit for trying to be as transparent as possible. [17:44] Now, I'm sure that they had to consult Jalen and the agent regarding how much transparency can be revealed, like how much detail they can put out there because it is his, after all, personal health. [17:56] Um, but that also, the statement from his agent, also very thorough, Natasha. [18:02] And, and we, again, we, we just typically don't see that, but when it's something this severe, not just an ACL, I think you, I think you, that's what's required, you know? [18:13] Yeah. [18:14] So, I just know if I'm the Eagles right now, they, they do have to be very delicate about this press conference that's coming up with Nick Sirianni here. [18:20] And, and I am curious to see exactly how forthcoming they will be in answering the questions that surely will be lobbed their way. [18:30] Um, you know, this is, they are, this is a tough spot for the organization and for Jalen in a lot of ways. [18:38] You know, they, they're just coming off their fourth straight loss, the first time they've lost four straight since 2020. [18:44] And, you know, I think it's pretty clear to see that they are in, let's say the hot seat. [18:52] Certainly the head coach is on the hot seat. [18:55] They play the Dallas Cowboys this upcoming Monday at the link, right? [18:58] So nationally televised game. [19:00] The owner, Jeffrey Lurie, is going into the team's hall of fame and there will be a ceremony at halftime. [19:06] And so anytime you're playing the Dallas Cowboys, that brings a whole lot of media attention. [19:11] And so you've got, obviously, the situation with Jalen, you've got a struggling football team, and you've got the Dallas Cowboys coming up this week. [19:17] Yeah. [19:17] It's going to be an interesting one. [19:19] That's a lot to deal with. [19:20] Yeah, and just talking about morale in general, Don, when something like this happens, a team, you know, already struggling and now they're grappling with the news of losing, you know, QB1, as we were saying. [19:30] So, I mean, what does that do? [19:32] That's got to be a gut punch as well. [19:34] Yeah, I mean, listen, we saw Tanner McKee play last night, pretty inexperienced player. [19:37] He's been around the team for a while, but he was only making his third start. [19:41] And, Natasha, I just, I like to point this out, right? [19:44] Like, people who follow this team, they see how many injuries the squad has had, right? [19:49] Like, I don't remember a season that was quite like this. [19:53] We talked to the great Merrill Reese yesterday in our pregame show, right? [19:56] 50 years calling games for the Eagles. [19:58] And I asked him, I said, when's the last time you've seen an injury list like this? [20:03] And then he mentioned the Detroit Lions from a couple seasons ago, but he couldn't think of one where the Philadelphia Eagles had an injury list this long. [20:13] Natasha, we're talking a dozen players or more. [20:16] At one point, it's like 20 players on the injury report. [20:20] Again, I've never seen it. [20:21] And so, if you were a player in that locker room and the star quarterback who makes $50 million a year is in this situation and on the outside, people have questions about the medical attention he got, what does that do for you the next time you sit on a trainer's table? [20:40] I don't know. [20:42] Yeah. [20:42] I don't know. [20:43] But if you're the head coach and you're the GM and you're the owner, you've probably got to do some damage control within your own building. [20:51] Again, speculation on my part, but I just think it's human nature, right? [20:57] So, these, again, these are questions that Nick Ceriani is going to have to answer. [21:02] The whole organization is going to have to answer. [21:05] Yeah. [21:05] I'm certain they will all be asked. [21:07] I don't know, like you said, how forthcoming he will be taught during this press conference, but I can only imagine the flurry of questions that he will be getting and how much we could possibly learn from him. [21:15] Also want to bring in our health reporter, Stephanie Stahl now. [21:18] We understand that she has spoken with a doctor just a short time ago to give some more indication as to what this injury is all about and what we know about blood clots in the lungs, Steph. [21:30] So, I've talked to a couple of doctors about this. [21:32] The good news is that this is being well managed and should be able to be resolved. [21:36] Blood clots are routinely treated with blood thinners. [21:39] The reason he can't play is because blood thinners incur the risk of bleeding. [21:44] So, if he's out there playing football, gets hit, he doesn't want to have more bleeding with that. [21:49] The usual course is about three months. [21:51] They say after that, if there's no further complications, he should be able to play. [21:56] Something that a lot of people are talking about is this started with this superficial blood clot that was in his calf that was diagnosed when he was in London. [22:05] So, the question is, he was cleared then. [22:07] After they see that blood clot, he's cleared to play in London and then get on a flight. [22:12] We do know, and it's well established, that long periods of inactivity, say on a flight, can make a blood clot much worse. [22:20] So, if you have a superficial blood clot in your leg, why are you able to play football in a big game like that and then get on a plane? [22:27] All the doctors I've talked to say it is not a problem. [22:30] They didn't see this being a problem, that this was a superficial blood clot that appeared to be contained, and the usual course of action would be to follow it along, which they did in these ultrasounds, and then they found that it moved. [22:44] So, superficial blood clot can turn into something that is called a deep vein thrombosis. [22:48] That is when the blood clot gets bigger, it moves through the vein, and the primary risk then is it goes into the lungs. [22:56] Once it is in the lungs, it can interfere with blood flow, and that's the situation we have with Jalen now. [23:02] Yeah, and I think that's what, I think, I'm certain that Nick Sirianni, once we get to this press conference and he gets up to the podium here, I'm certain he will be asked the question, [23:09] you know, when did you know this, did you not realize the gravity of what could happen following a long flight, or, you know, was there not some sense of, you know, urgency about this situation in his calf that started out as something superficial that's now exploded into something a bit much more serious? [23:25] You know, and the Eagles have a history of being protective of their players, of their medical situation. [23:32] We have HIPAA situations where they don't want to talk about that. [23:35] So, we don't know how forthcoming they're going to be, as Don Bell has been talking about. [23:40] You know, they've been somewhat limited in this, and this may be something that the Eagles want to do. [23:45] This might be something that Jalen wants to happen, that he doesn't want a lot of his medical situation to come out. [23:51] You know, he is QB number one. [23:54] He wants to play, and so I'm sure that that is the big emphasis for him. [23:59] Of course, his medical condition and making sure he's healthy is the primary concern for everybody. [24:04] Absolutely, and again, just some of the statement that his agent did put out this morning seems to be offering lots, lots of optimism here. [24:12] He is clinically stable and has no significant functional limitations. [24:15] His treatment should only involve blood thinners, as you're saying. [24:18] During this time, he will not be allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football. [24:23] But again, Jalen's prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery. [24:26] Right, what we don't know in that statement is we have not heard if Jalen had any symptoms. [24:33] So a lot of times when you would have a superficial blood clot, there would be some swelling, there would be some pain. [24:40] Now, Jalen had said that this was the result of being cleated in a previous game, that he was injured with a cleat, [24:48] and that probably initially looked like a bruise. [24:51] Football players get these all the time, right? [24:54] So the question then is, did those symptoms progress a little bit? [24:58] Because he didn't get this officially looked at, we're told, until he's in London. [25:03] Once he gets to London, theoretically, the symptoms may have still been there or something. [25:09] Something gets him to the hospital in London where they see this. [25:13] But he's still cleared to play and get on this long flight. [25:19] And as they're following up, which is standard of care, they then see that this has moved and progressed into his lungs. [25:25] And it's in both lungs. [25:26] They call it bilateral. [25:27] So bilateral lung clots are very common. [25:33] It is usually what happens is this one clot moves up through your veins. [25:37] You have two sides of your lungs, two lungs here. [25:39] So it is common that they would go into both sides. [25:42] Yeah, and also, Steph, you were talking to the doctor earlier at noon. [25:46] We heard the sound from him. [25:47] So usually about a three-month treatment process here? [25:50] Yes, that's the standard course. [25:51] Is that the standard course? [25:52] So what happens is with blood thinners, it causes the clot not to grow. [25:58] And then it instigates the body's healing process to kind of get rid of this blood clot and make it dissipate, [26:05] which they'll be following all along. [26:07] And it takes usually about three months. [26:08] And if there's no other problems with this, he should be cleared and ready to play. [26:13] They're saying not this season, but for next season. [26:16] Yeah, yeah. [26:16] So again, according to the statement from the agent, he's good prognosis right now. [26:20] I'm sure he's under the best care possible, as you can imagine. [26:23] And he's still going to be able to kind of be around the team, just not physically active around them. [26:29] Exactly. [26:29] Physically participating on it. [26:30] And his knowledge, his scheme of the games, Don can tell us all about that. [26:34] He knows all about, you know, what the plays are and that. [26:37] You know, there's another thing that a lot of people were talking about, this report that's out there, [26:41] that he was advised medically to not sleep for 36 hours. [26:46] Yeah, that's been out there. [26:47] It's all over the place. [26:48] Now, what is that? [26:49] Have you talked to the doctor about that? [26:50] I've asked every doctor. [26:51] And they say, that makes no sense. [26:53] Absolutely no sense. [26:54] Okay. [26:55] That, you know, sometimes staying awake, the only thing they're thinking, was this part of a concussion? [27:00] Now, that has not been reported at all. [27:02] But all the medical doctors I'm talking to say there would be no reason to not have somebody not sleep [27:08] because of what at that point was a superficial blood clot. [27:12] So that's not adding up for us. [27:14] Now, he had been on a long flight. [27:17] He was in an emergency department in London. [27:19] And, you know, he's up all night. [27:21] So maybe he had been awake for that period of time. [27:25] That was being advised of him. [27:26] Right, right. [27:27] It may have been. [27:28] That would have an impact on his play. [27:31] Maybe how he's thinking, that sort of thing. [27:33] But it really wouldn't have an impact or be a directive to deal with what this blood clot is all about. [27:39] Yeah. [27:40] And I'm just hearing the warning here, the time warning. [27:42] I think that we're given about 30 seconds or so before Nick Sirianni gets to the podium again to address Jalen Hurts possibly being out, [27:50] expected to be out the rest of the season due to a blood clot that started in his calf. [27:54] It's traveled now to his lungs. [27:56] So we are going to hear from Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, hopefully giving us a lot more answers because we have a flurry of questions, [28:04] as you can hear either from our health reporter, from our sports reporters, and just us in general, [28:09] wanting to know when this all started, why he was still allowed to play. [28:13] Did they, you know, when did it become such a grave situation here now where he is now being out possibly for the rest of the season [28:19] and treated with blood thinners for the next few months or so? [28:22] So we are hoping that Sirianni can be as transparent as possible. [28:26] Again, as you heard our health reporter, Stephanie Stahl, talk about, this is a medical condition. [28:30] If we were to go to a hospital, they're not going to divulge our health information unless we are allowing it at that time. [28:37] So I'm not sure how much he can get into, but we can only hope that he's going to give us a little more information about Jalen. [28:43] And the coach has said for a while now that he and Jalen are very close. [28:47] It's like a brother. [28:48] And the biggest and most imperative concern is his health. [28:52] And so I'm sure we're going to hear some headlines about taking care of his health and making sure he's well cared for, [28:59] whether they get into all of the specifics, all the things we want to know of, how and why did all of this happen? [29:06] How did this turn into this blood clots in his lungs is something that a lot of people want to know. [29:11] Hopefully the head coach will be able to address that for us. [29:14] Yeah. [29:14] And I know Don is standing by as well while we're waiting to hear from Sirianni. [29:19] Don was talking to us a bit earlier just about Sirianni. [29:22] Again, he usually is pretty transparent. [29:25] So we're going to hope to hear from him. [29:27] Let's go to him right now and hear what he has to say. [29:29] We're going to start with Elliott Short Parks and then go to John McMullen. [29:33] Hey, Nick. [29:33] There was a report that Jalen got pretty limited sleep the night before the game in London. [29:39] I was wondering if you could take us behind the decision between the limited sleep and being diagnosed with the blood clot the day before, [29:47] why you felt it was safe he could play in that game. [29:51] You know, again, with all that, I think that reporter put that out, came out with another report. [29:57] I know you guys saw that. [29:58] You know, the health of our players is always at the forefront of our mind. [30:06] And, you know, we leave that up to the medical experts. [30:10] But, you know, we always, always care deeply about our players. [30:15] And, you know, that's when you are completely focused on together and connection. [30:23] You're always thinking about the well-being of your guys. [30:26] And that's where we were in that situation. [30:30] We'll go to John and then Ruben Frank. [30:33] Hey, Nick. [30:34] Just to sort of wrap that up. [30:36] And I know you don't want to go backward. [30:38] But, you know, Jalen and the lack of rest, even though he's able to get some sleep at the stadium, it is a very mentally draining position. [30:49] Did that affect the game planning in that game when it came to scaling things back? [30:56] I think we've talked about that. [30:58] You know, you go through the game plan the way you go through it every single week. [31:01] You know, I know we got, you know, we, everything in that game plan was thought through the entire, the entire week. [31:11] And then, you know, you're also thinking about the things that, you know, going into the game as well. [31:18] So, you know, I don't think that had any effect on how we game planned or anything like that. [31:25] We'll go to Rube and then Jeff McClain. [31:27] Hey, Nick. [31:31] Understanding that your number one priority is care for the players. [31:34] I was just wondering if there's anything you feel like you guys could have done differently or should have done differently during the whole ordeal. [31:41] You know, guys, I'm not a medical expert. [31:44] I lean on our guys in all those situations. [31:47] I'm a football coach. [31:49] I lean on our medical experts in every situation. [31:52] I have full trust and full faith in them. [31:55] It's not just me that has major care for our players. [31:59] It's them as well. [32:00] And so we are all there. [32:04] And I'm glad to be part of an organization that cares about the guys the way our guys do. [32:09] We'll go to Jeff and then Brooks. [32:12] Nick, why was Jalen Hurts allowed to fly home despite the team knowing that he had a blood clot? [32:18] Again, again, I'm not a medical expert. [32:21] Same deal there. [32:22] We get medical information from our guys. [32:25] And we always put the players' health first and foremost in every situation. [32:32] And, you know, that's where we were there. [32:34] Did you – were you briefed by the medical team before you did this press conference on why he was permitted to fly despite the blood clot? [32:41] Yeah, I got – yeah, guys, I talked to them a lot. [32:46] Can you give us the information – yeah. [32:47] Guys, I talked to the guys – hey, Jeff. [32:49] As a spokesman of the team, we're just hoping you give us some information for the public. [32:54] Thank you. [32:55] Guys, I've addressed this. [32:58] I've talked to you guys about this. [32:59] Again, the medical experts are there. [33:03] And I think I've answered this question multiple times. [33:06] We put out a statement for you guys to hear, put out multiple statements for you guys to hear. [33:13] And so – and I told you guys that last week that I was going to leave it at that of where, you know, where we were on that because we put out a detailed statement for you guys to hear and to understand. [33:25] We'll go to Brooks and then Dave. [33:27] Nick, I understand you're not the expert on the medical side. [33:31] I'm just curious who was all a part of that conversation, people that you're listening to, to trust, to – is there any clarity you can give on that? [33:39] Yeah, guys, I understand that you want this information on this. [33:43] I fully trust the people that are involved in helping us all make these decisions. [33:50] And, you know, and we have great people here. [33:53] We've had the same, you know, I think I put it this way, the same doctors and trainers that – the same doctors and trainers that helped 21 of our 22 starters be available in the Super Bowl are the same guys today that deeply care about our guys to help them. [34:15] You know, we're – and that's, you know, again, don't have much more to say about that. [34:20] That's why we put the statement out and also full trust in those guys and always, always, always the players' health is at the forefront of our mind. [34:30] And I don't know. [34:32] I just – yeah, that, again, goes down to our connection and our team kind of feels like you're questioning that. [34:43] And that's – and that – I know you guys have a job to do, but, you know, I've got the relationship with the players that I have because – because of the time that we spend together and because of the care that we have for each other. [34:59] So, it's always at the forefront of our mind. [35:02] And, you know, again, I get all the questions. [35:06] I know you guys have questions about this, but we care deeply about our guys. [35:13] We'll go to Dave and then Martin. [35:14] Nick, given how much the defense has had to play in recent weeks, is there any concern that the offense's struggles to stay on the field could cause some sort of a rift within the team? [35:27] You know, again, this is why it's so important. [35:29] There are ups and downs in every season. [35:32] Obviously, we are in a rut right now. [35:34] I don't think there's any question of that. [35:36] We're in a rut. [35:39] And this is why you work in the offseason to come together. [35:43] And because every team is going to go through, you know, ups and downs here, and it's important to have that relationship and build those relationships so when you go through down times, it doesn't tear you apart. [35:58] And so you're banking all those reps of togetherness and the things that you're working on there to pull you through these tough times. [36:09] And in tough times, you have to double down on the things that you can control, right? [36:14] The things you can control is, you know, all the things that we talk about on a daily basis that you've heard me say ad nauseum. [36:23] And, you know, in this great game of football, nobody's on an island, right? [36:30] No coach is on an island. [36:31] No player is on an island. [36:32] Not one side of the ball is on an island. [36:34] You know, and it is about locking arms in these scenarios. [36:39] And that's my job as a head coach to get us to lock arms in these scenarios and fight through it together. [36:46] Because, you know, without your teammates, it's tough. [36:51] And so that's why, again, why you have all the bank reps of togetherness and the connection pieces and the dinners and the talks and the locker room and whatever it may be to pull you through these tough times. [37:03] We'll go to Martin and then Don Bell. [37:08] Hey, Nick. [37:09] With Tanner being the quarterback, presumably now for the rest of the season, what kind of things or how does the offense have to change or evolve to better suit his skill set as opposed to, you know, what you guys have been doing for Jalen? [37:25] Yeah, you know, every time you go into a game plan, you're looking to see how you can attack a defense. [37:32] You're looking to see the things that you do well and try to repeat those things. [37:35] You're looking to see what your players do well and try to repeat those things. [37:40] And so there's a little percentage of that each and every week. [37:44] So, of course, with change of different positions comes slightly different things. [37:51] But there's still the, and I think I answered this for you guys last week, but it's still like you still have your core things that you want to be able to do and the things you do well, you know, that you want to be able to do. [38:04] And you're trying to repeat those things. [38:05] But, of course, you're always looking at your players. [38:08] I think it always starts there of what your players do well and try to repeat that and do those things because they got to go out there and function at a high level against the best in the world. [38:21] We'll go to Don and then to McManus. [38:27] We'll go to Tim. [38:31] All right. [38:31] Thanks, Nick. [38:32] How is Jalen doing and how did he take the news that he would be out for the year? [38:38] Yeah, I'll let you guys. [38:39] Again, I always talk to our guys and I never put our conversations out there. [38:45] I think that's the, I think you guys can understand that. [38:47] Like that's private conversations with myself and him. [38:52] You know, I can just say to you, you know, I haven't, I haven't been without Jalen for an extended period of time. [38:58] I have the utmost confidence in Tanner, but, you know, I miss him, right? [39:04] I miss, you know, I miss him and I know that will, that will be the case. [39:08] I mean, because Jalen and I are, have been together, head coach and quarterback for six years. [39:14] So that's natural, that's natural or five and a half years or however many, right? [39:18] And so that's natural right there. [39:20] But I don't want to speak for him in any sense of the matter, but I just, you know, deep care about him and hope that he continues to improve, you know, with what he's going through. [39:34] We have time for two more. [39:35] So we'll go to Johnny McGonigal and finish with Zach Berman. [39:40] Hey, Nick, with Sean Mannion at offensive coordinator, what's your confidence level in him? [39:46] As he tries to, you know, lead this thing with Tanner, a quarterback and, you know, from what you've seen from him through six games, where is your confidence level in Sean? [39:55] Yeah, I have a high confidence level in everybody in this building. [40:00] Sean, that's why I hired him. [40:03] The position coaches, the players. [40:06] Right now, we are in a, we're in a rough spot, as we know. [40:10] And so, you know, it is about controlling the things that you can control in this moment and figuring out, you know, what the next steps are. [40:20] You know, I think we got to find out, you know, what the things are that we have to get better at and what we have to do well or what we do well. [40:28] And, you know, that's the, that's what these next two days are for. [40:32] And we get an extra day here on this end. [40:36] But my confidence level in our guys is high, right? [40:40] And, you know, and I know you guys only get to see a portion of, you know, of this with the game. [40:47] And that's the thing that counts the most, obviously. [40:49] But, you know, there's other reasons for hope and why I feel that way, you know, with how these guys show me who they are on a daily basis. [40:59] And like I said before, no man is on an island in the game of football, right? [41:04] Even when we talk about corners and it's like, you know, whatever island, right? [41:11] I think, you know, Q has an island named that, Revis, right? [41:15] They still need their teammates to go out and rush the passer, you know what I mean? [41:21] So it's like that with everybody, right? [41:26] You know, coaches aren't on an island, players aren't on an island. [41:29] One side of the ball special teams are not on an island, offenses are not on an island. [41:33] And when we do this thing together, that's why it's the ultimate team game. [41:36] And we have to fight the urge to let, you know, because I get it. [41:43] Everybody wants an answer of exactly what's going on and how do you fix that and how do you do that? [41:48] Like, it's not just one thing. [41:50] And we have to be able to look ourselves in the mirror. [41:53] It's so important for a football team to not fall into the trap, right, that it's just one thing. [42:01] We all have a hand in it. [42:02] We all have a part in it. [42:03] And it's just like the other portion of it, when you play well and everyone's telling you how good you are, it's the same thing. [42:11] And this, you know, when you play well, it's a trap to say, hey, you're playing really good, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. [42:16] No, you've got to refocus on the next game. [42:18] And there's a trap when you're not playing so good and not coaching so good. [42:21] But in that trap, the danger of that trap is, hey, it's this guy's fault. [42:27] It's that guy's fault. [42:28] That's not football. [42:29] And everybody in this building has to fight that urge that is going to be fed to us. [42:38] We all have a portion in it. [42:41] We all have a hand in the wins. [42:43] We all have a hand in the losses. [42:45] And right now, with four losses in a row, we all have a hand in that. [42:48] And we all have to get better. [42:50] And it's never just one thing. [42:53] We'll finish with Zach here. [42:55] As a follow-up to that, though, Nick, if I can ask directly, is Sean still calling plays going forward? [42:59] Yes. [43:00] And so you said everything's on the table yesterday. [43:03] What is different going forward? [43:06] Yeah. [43:06] Again, not going to get into too much of that. [43:09] You know, obviously, we are looking at everything, right? [43:14] And, again, I think, you know, those are conversations that I've had with the staff this whole morning. [43:22] And, you know, everything's on the table. [43:26] Oh, but we've done this. [43:29] Yeah, well, maybe this isn't working quite as good. [43:32] All right, so this is on the table. [43:34] And without getting too much into scheme-wise, I'm saying to you, like, obviously, it hasn't looked the way we wanted it to look. [43:45] And we're not scoring enough points. [43:48] So everything is on the table, all right? [43:50] And, again, I'll do everything we can do. [43:55] Our coaches will do everything we can do to help us win football games. [44:00] And so if I said, hey, this is all on the table, but this isn't, everything's on the table. [44:07] But as far as, you know, who's coaching the positions and who's calling the plays, that will remain the same. [44:15] And, you know, we're looking for answers and we're looking for solutions. [44:19] Thank you. [44:20] Thanks, Coach. [44:21] We appreciate your time today. [44:22] Thank you. [44:23] Thank you. [44:23] Thank you. [44:23] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:24] Thank you. [44:25] Thank you. [44:25] Thank you. [44:25] Thank you. [44:25] Thank you. [44:26] Thank you. [44:26] Thank you. [44:27] Thank you. [44:27] Thank you. [44:28] Thank you. [44:29] Thank you. [44:29] Thank you. [44:30] Thank you. [44:31] Thank you. [44:31] Thank you. [44:32] Thank you. [44:33] Thank you. [44:34] Thank you. [44:34] Thank you. [44:35] Thank you. [44:35] Thank you. [44:36] Thank you. [44:37] Thank you. [44:38] Thank you. [44:38] Thank you. [44:39] Thank you. [44:40] Thank you. [44:41] Thank you. [44:42] Thank you. [44:43] Thank you. [44:44] Thank you. [44:45] Thank you. [44:46] Thank you. [44:47] Thank you. [44:48] Thank you.