While many used the railing incident at FedEx Field on Sunday to make fun of the Washington Football Team and its stadium, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts isn’t laughing.
In a letter sent to the NFL and Washington on Tuesday, Hurts asked for action to be taken in response to the broken railing that led to several fans crashing into the tunnel while he was exiting the field Sunday.
“I am writing to inquire about what follow-up action is being considered in response to the near-tragic incident that took place at FedExField on January 2, 2022,” wrote Hurts in the letter. “As you are aware, many individuals, including fans, media personnel, and myself, were placed in a dangerous situation when portions of the FedEx Field tunnel collapsed. 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.”
After the Eagles’ 20-16 win over Washington on Sunday, Hurts was running off the field when several Eagles fans reaching over to get a high-five from the quarterback fell after the railing broke. About eight fans tumbled down and nearly crashed into Hurts. The 23-year-old helped one fan stand up, took a few pictures and then gave his gloves to another fan.
“I would like to know what safeguards the NFL and the Washington Football Team are implementing to prevent this from ever occurring in the future,” Hurts continued in the letter.
On Monday, a different video angle of the crash showed how close the fans came to crashing into Hurts’ lower body.
In case you missed it:
— SportzStew Ⓥ (@sportzstewcom) January 4, 2022
Another angle of fans nearly collapsing onto Jalen Hurts 🤯 #FlyEaglesFly #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/RMCD7jlnVZ
“I tried to handle the situation with a lot of poise and show compassion for the people that fell down. But I know it could have been so much worse,” Hurts said at his press conference Tuesday. “It kind of didn’t hit me until after the fact. Having some time to reflect on it and think about it, so I just wanted to see what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again. That’s all I really care about.”
After the incident Sunday, Washington said in a statement: “To our knowledge, everyone involved was offered onsite medical evaluation and left the stadium of their own accord. We’re very glad no one appears to have been seriously injured. The safety of our fans and guests is of the utmost importance and we are looking into what occurred.”
Associated Press photo runner Mark Tenally was injured and helped by medical personnel, according to multiple reports, but a few Eagles fans have told ESPN that they did not receive medical attention. The NFL is also reportedly looking into the incident.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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