CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In many ways it was a normal Tuesday for Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst. He arrived at Bank of America Stadium at 9 a.m. on what normally is an off day for players, lifted weights, spent time in the sauna and steam room and met with trainers.
But little in the life of the 30-year-old Hurst has been normal the past six weeks.
The hit he took during the fourth quarter of a November 9 Thursday night loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field landed him in the NFL's concussion protocol the next day.