Michael Robinson has apologised to Jalen Hurts after questioning the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s health and suggesting he may have been distancing himself from the team’s struggles.
The former NFL fullback and current NFL Network analyst admitted that his comments were “unfounded” and said he should never have speculated about Hurts’ condition or commitment to Philadelphia.
Robinson wrote on social media: “I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday.”
He said he had no excuse for the remarks, which were made during Thursday’s edition of NFL GameDay Kickoff.
Robinson had suggested that Hurts might be trying to avoid responsibility for the Eagles’ disappointing season by removing himself from the picture. The comments came after Philadelphia announced that its quarterback would miss a game against the Carolina Panthers.
The seriousness of Hurts’ condition became clear the following day, after the Eagles announced that he had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. Blood clots had been found in both of his lungs.
The 28-year-old is expected to miss the remainder of the season because he will need to take blood thinners, preventing him from playing contact sports.
Hurts is stable and expected to make a full recovery, with no long-term effects anticipated. Robinson’s apology followed criticism of what he acknowledged was a serious misjudgement about the quarterback’s health.
