Michael Robinson says sorry to Jalen Hurts for questioning the Eagles star before his blood clot diagnosis

NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson has issued a public apology to Jalen Hurts after he questioned the Eagles quarterback's absence days before doctors found blood clots in his lungs.

Robinson, a former NFL fullback, posted the apology on social media Monday night. He had faced backlash for hinting that Hurts might be using health problems to dodge blame for Philadelphia's rough season.

In his post Robinson said he wanted to "sincerely apologize" to Hurts and his family as well as to the Eagles and their fans.

Owning the mistake

Robinson called his own remarks "unfounded." He said he should never have speculated about Hurts' health or his dedication to the team and that he had no excuse.

What he said on air

The comments came during last Thursday's "NFL GameDay Kickoff." The Eagles had just announced that Hurts would sit out Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

On the show Robinson suggested Hurts could be stepping away so the losing season would not be pinned on him.

The diagnosis

The real story proved far more serious. A day after the loss to Carolina the Eagles revealed that Hurts had deep vein thrombosis plus bilateral pulmonary emboli, which means clots were found in both lungs.

Hurts, 28, is expected to miss the rest of the season. He will need blood thinners that rule out contact sports. The good news is that he is stable and expected to recover fully with no long-term effects.

Robinson is now owning what turned out to be a badly mistaken read.