Ex-Falcons TE Hayden Hurst suffering from…

Ex-Falcons TE Hayden Hurst suffering from post-traumatic amnesia

Head trauma is a very real and under-reported aspect of football, from grade school to the NFL. Sadly, we don’t hear much about the impact of concussions and repetitive head trauma.

Former Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia, his father, Jerry Hurst, tweeted on Wednesday.

“[Haden Hurst] has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Amnesia by an independent neurologist as a result of the hit he took in Chicago November 9,” wrote Hurst. “Slow recovery, don’t know when he’ll be back. Prayers appreciated!”

What is post-traumatic amnesia?

Posttraumatic amnesia may be divided into 2 types. The first type of PTA is retrograde, defined by Cartlidge and Shaw as a “partial or total loss of the ability to recall events that have occurred during the period immediately preceding brain injury.” The duration of retrograde amnesia usually progressively decreases. The second type of PTA is anterograde amnesia, a deficit in forming new memory after the accident, which may lead to decreased attention and inaccurate perception. Anterograde memory is frequently the last function to return after the recovery from loss of consciousness. — National Library of Medicine

NFL Twitter shows support for Hurst

Sending love. An unbelievable person and someone who is so easy to cheer for. Hope he has a full recovery. https://t.co/JKKcVq9nbK pic.twitter.com/myxYmPbdh7

— Blake Childers (@BChil93) December 7, 2023

I was diagnosed with PTA after a car accident in college. It developed into anterograde amnesia, and I barely remember the next six months of my life. It’s terrifying and unnerving. Hopefully he’s able to clear it up. Prayers up for one of my favorite dudes in the league. https://t.co/sGjwcgQvO1

— Cedric Gegel (@CedricGegel) December 6, 2023

Oh no, this is truly awful news. My heart goes out to Hayden and his family. https://t.co/H0Qlo0mA8A

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 7, 2023

Praying for Hayden Hurst https://t.co/nW92GUyXTw

— Brandon Lee (Otis) (@BLee2real) December 7, 2023

Oh no, this is truly awful news. My heart goes out to Hayden and his family. https://t.co/H0Qlo0mA8A

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 7, 2023

#Panthers TE Hayden Hurst was back on the practice field earlier today for the first time in weeks — in a red jersey.

When I asked Coach Tabor about his progress, he said Hurst was working his way through the (concussion) protocol, and was set to go through another evaluation. https://t.co/t3msVPsvo9

— DaShawn Brown (@DaShawnWSOC9) December 6, 2023