Panthers’ Hayden Hurst Diagnosed With Post-Traumatic Amnesia

Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia after taking a hit to the head in a game against the Chicago Bears on November 9.

Hurst’s father announced his son’s diagnosis on social media Wednesday.

Hurst took to social media himself after the announcement to comment on the incident and his progress. The Panthers’ tight end returned to practice this week.

“I appreciate everyone reaching out & checking on me,” Hurst said on X Thursday. “I suffered a pretty nasty concussion against the Bears a few weeks ago & don’t remember up to 4 hours after the game. Scary situation but the Panthers have been incredible walking me through this process.”

It is suspected that Hurst sustained his head injury on a play in the fourth quarter against the Bears when he struck the ground hard and struggled to get up. He has not appeared in a game since.

“While it was scary, it is NOT career-ending,” Hurst wrote in a follow-up post. “I’m starting my return to play this week, so fingers crossed I make it back for the last few weeks! God Bless & Keep Pounding!!!!”

Concussions continue to be an issue for the NFL as it makes multiple efforts to minimize their impact, from rule changes to improved equipment. But Hurst is just one of many players who have missed time because of a head injury, joined by the likes of Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Few players who have sustained concussions report symptoms as severe as Hurst, who claims to not remember four hours after the Bears game. Memory loss is common, however, as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow attested to in an interview last year. He claimed to have forgotten stretches of games and considered it a part of the sport.

“You can make all the rules you want to make the game as safe as you possibly can, but there’s an inherent risk and danger with the game of football,” Burrow said. “You have 300-pound men running 20 miles an hour trying to take your head off while you’re standing still trying to ignore it, and find receivers that are open … That’s part of the game, I think. Part of what we signed up for. You’re gonna have head injuries, you’re gonna tear your ACL, you’re gonna break your arm. That’s the game that we play. That’s the life that we live. And we get paid handsomely for it.”