In a Michael Robinson apology posted to X on Monday, the NFL Network analyst told Jalen Hurts, his family, the Eagles and the fan base that he was wrong to suggest the quarterback was using a blood clot to get out of a losing season.
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“My official apology to @JalenHurts @Eagles and the entire fanbase. My comments were wrong. No excuse,” Robinson wrote.
The statement he attached went further. “I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday. They were unfounded and I never should’ve speculated on a health issue of a player nor his commitment to his team.”
The comments came last week on NFL GameDay Kickoff, right after the Eagles ruled Hurts out of Week 6 with what the team called a superficial blood clot. Philadelphia was riding a three game losing streak at the time, and Robinson suggested the injury was convenient.
“It looked like they were trying to pin the outcome of this season on Jalen Hurts just so that they could have an excuse later on to move on from Jalen Hurts,” Robinson said. “If I’m Jalen Hurts, or anybody in Jalen Hurts’ camp, I’m saying, ‘Well if everybody’s hurt, I’m hurt, too.'” He added that it looked like Hurts was “pulling himself out so that this doesn’t look like it’s on me.”
Robinson said more than once during the segment that he didn’t have any inside information. The backlash was immediate. NFL insider Josina Anderson wrote on X that Robinson owed Hurts “a full apology, full stop.” Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III called the idea that Hurts was pulling himself out to avoid blame absurd.
The criticism got louder Monday when the Eagles announced Hurts will miss the rest of the regular season with multiple blood clots. Blood clots are not a sore hamstring or a bruise a player can push through. They can travel to the lungs or heart, and the CDC estimates they kill as many as 100,000 people in the United States every year.
Sean Brace of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia said on air that even a walk back would not reach as many people as the original take did.
Robinson, a former college quarterback who spent most of his NFL career as a fullback with the Seattle Seahawks, has worked at NFL Network for years. NFL Network has not announced any discipline.
The Eagles are 2 and 4 and will finish the regular season without their starting quarterback. Hurts led Philadelphia to a win in Super Bowl LIX less than two seasons ago.
