Jalen Hurts pens letter calling for action over ‘near-tragic’ rail collapse at Washington
By Jack Bantock, CNN
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has penned an open letter calling for follow-up action to what he described as a “near-tragic incident” involving a collapsed railing at the Washington Football Team’s FedEx Field on Sunday.
Hurts was entering the tunnel leading to the locker room following a 20-16 Eagles victory — cheered overhead by excited Eagles fans — when the railing collapsed, spilling fans onto the ground and missing the 23-year-old quarterback by mere inches.
The Eagles star helped fans to their feet before taking pictures with them — much to their delight — but in his open letter to the NFL and the Washington Football Team on Tuesday, said that he had become “extremely concerned” by the incident following the “initial shock.”
“I am writing to inquire about what follow-up action is being considered in response to the near-tragic incident that took place,” Hurts said.
“Many individuals, including fans, media personnel, and myself were placed in a dangerous situation … although I was able to prevent the barrier from crashing onto me, that was not the same for others who could be suffering from lingering injuries.
“Through the initial shock, my first reaction was to assist those involved. However, while I displayed a calm composure, I understand the severity of what happened and am extremely concerned for the well-being of fans and media.”
Hurts directly addressed the NFL and the Washington Football Team to ask what measures would be implemented to prevent a repeat incident, before closing by stating that fans and players had been put “unnecessarily at risk.”
“The resources of the NFL and team organizations ensure our safety through playing this physical sport, but what happened on Sunday put both fans and players unnecessarily at risk long after the final whistle,” Hurts added.
‘The safety of our fans and guests is of the utmost importance’
The NFL told CNN on Wednesday that “we appreciate Jalen’s concerns and have been reviewing the matter with the Washington Football Team to understand what occurred and to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
The Washington Football Team told CNN that team president Jason Wright had received Jalen’s email and reached back out with an offer to speak to Jalen about the incident.
A statement released by the team on Sunday evening said that — to their knowledge — “everyone” involved had been offered medical evaluation and that they were looking into the incident.
“We’re very glad no one appears to have been seriously injured,” the statement read.
“The safety of our fans and guests is of the utmost importance and we are looking into what occurred.”
A report by ESPN’s Tim McManus on Monday said that several fans involved in the collapse denied being offered on-site medical evaluation.
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