Hayden Hurst’s dad reveals Panthers star has ‘post traumatic amnesia’

Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst is dealing with a much more serious issue than many people realized. 

Hurst suffered a concussion during the Panthers’ Week 10 loss to the Bears and hasn’t suited up for a game since, but Hurst’s father on Wednesday revealed the situation to be much more severe.

Jerry Hurst posted on X that his son was dealing with post-traumatic amnesia. 

“@haydenrhurst has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Amnesia by an independent neurologist as a result of the hit he took in Chicago Nov. 9.  Slow recovery, don’t know when he’ll be back.  Prayers appreciated!” the elder Hurst wrote on X Wednesday afternoon. 

PTA is a form of amnesia that can develop after an injury and “can involve multiple forms of amnesia,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

The Panthers did confirm to The Athletic that Hurst is still in concussion protocol, but the team has provided very little information on his status outside of that. 

Carolina did list Hurst as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, which was the first time that has been the case since the injury.

“He’s working his way through the protocol,” Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabo told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Charlotte Observer. “That was just another step of where he’s at. We’ll get an evaluation at the end of today and see how he did.”

https://twitter.com/jhurst10/status/1732513853349498883

Hurst is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game on Sunday when the Panthers travel to New Orleans. 

The injury occurred after Hurst was hit hard into the ground late in the fourth quarter and his head appeared to slam into the ground.

He did return to the game and Hurst wasn’t placed into concussion protocol until the following day. 

Hurst signed with the Panthers during this past offseason and has had 18 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.