Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst has not suited up since suffering a concussion in a game against the Chicago Bears back on Nov. 9.
We’re now hearing more about Hurst’s status from his father, Jerry, who took to social media on Wednesday to make an announcement.
This is certainly a scary situation and is indicative of just how dangerous of a sport football can be for those who take to the gridiron.
According to brain injury association Headway, Post Traumatic Amnesia is defined as follows:
“(PTA) is the time after a period of unconsciousness when the injured person is conscious and awake, but is behaving or talking in a bizarre or uncharacteristic manner.”
This differs from Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is better-known around the football world and has led to multiple suicides of former NFL players. Diagnosis of CTE can only be confirmed post-mortem. The same thing can’t be said about PTA.
There is not a whole lot more available on Hurst’s status outside of the announcement his father made on social media Wednesday afternoon.
Hayden Hurst stats: 195 receptions, 1,902 yards, 15 TD
This month, the NFL is running the My Cause My Cleats campaign. For his part, Hurst is utilizing the campaign to bring awareness to veteran suicide. He also heads the The Hayden Hurst Family Foundation, which helps provide mental health programs to people in the community.
A first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens out of South Carolina in 2018, Hurst joined the Panthers as a free agent this past spring. He had caught 18 passes for 184 yards with a touchdown in nine games before going down with the aforementioned concussion.
Earlier on Wednesday, videos surfaced that Hurst was seen in a non-contact jersey during Panthers practice.
“