Panthers’ Hayden Hurst diagnosed with ‘Post Traumatic Amnesia’ just weeks after suffering a bad hit against the Bears

In the absence of Hurst, the Panthers may take the option of tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas.

Panthers’ Hayden Hurst diagnosed with ‘Post Traumatic Amnesia’ just weeks after suffering a bad hit against the Bears

Hayden Hurst (Via WBTV)

Amidst an already bad season, the Carolina Panthers have met another bad news surrounding the tight end Hayden Hurst. The 30-year-old has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia, after the serious hit that he took last month on November 9, in the game against the Chicago Bears.

On Thursday, Hurst’s father, Jerry Hurst announced the unfortunate news on social media:

[Hayden] has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Amnesia by an independent neurologist as a result of the hit he took in Chicago November 9. Slow recovery, don't know when he'll be back. Prayers Appreciated!

In the week 10 game, after the bad hit, the tight end was placed into the concussion protocol and he has been on the sidelines ever since. According to the NFL reporter Darin Gantt, Hurst returned to practice on Wednesday with limited participation. But he wore a red jersey, which is meant for non-contact players.

Now as the veteran tight end has such a serious diagnosis, he may not be able to call things that happened just a minute ago or remember his day-to-day activities or events. The timeline for post-traumatic amnesia varies person by person. Sometimes it gets recovered in a few minutes but many times it extends to weeks or months.

This season has been bizarre for the Panthers. They were already struggling with the worst record of 1-10 across the league, and now they have lost their tight end. The team is also going through a transitive period as the head coach Frank Reich was fired mid-season by the owner David Tepper.

How did Hayden Hurst perform this season?

Before the unfortunate game of week 10, against the Bears, the Panthers’ tight end logged 18 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown this season. He was known to be the first choice of quarterback Bryce Young, among the other tight ends.

Panthers' Hayden Hurst
Hayden Hurst (Via Yahoo Sports)

Throughout his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, and Panthers, the 30-year-old posted 195 catches for 1,902 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. This season with the Panthers has been pretty tough, not just for the veteran tight end, but for the whole team as they are at an embarrassing record of 1-11.

In the absence of Hurst, the Panthers would now have to take the option of tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas. Apart from that, Carolina also has the option to pursue perennial Pro Bowler Zach Ertz, who has recently been released from Arizona Cardinals.

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