Hayden Hurst: Fierce Ravens TE On The Field, Fierce Mental Health Advocate Off It

The Baltimore Ravens season is well underway with lots of records already set, excitement among fans and players high, and a steady climb up the power rankings.

"The new offense is so fun. It's so fast," tight end Hayden Hurst said. "There's so many moving parts to it."

A first-round draft pick, Hurst is one of those moving parts. He got his most recent touchdown during the Sept. 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals at M&T Bank Stadium.

Dawn White reports:

"For me, I think I just have a lot to prove," Hurst said. "Last year kind of got taken away from me with the whole foot thing. I felt like I was playing pretty good at a high level."











View this post on Instagram Another day closer to the season #GarnetThor ???? A post shared by Hayden Hurst (@haydenrhurst) on Aug 21, 2019 at 10:52am PDT

Hurst wants to make a big statement this season after hurting his foot last season, so he's put in the work on and off the field.

A typical day at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills starts at 8 a.m. with meetings and then hitting the turf on the practice field.

"When I went home in the offseason, I started working out twice a day," Hurst said. "Mostly, it just helps my whole mental thing. For me, it's just kind of like my getaway, but I know I needed to get bigger for on the field and blocking and things like that the coaches asked me to do."

The 6 foot, 5 inch tight end known as "Garnet Thor" for his muscular stature and long, flowing red hair gained 20 pounds during the offseason.

He hopes to make an impact not only on the football field but off the field, as well, by starting his own mental health organization.

"The reason I did it was because my uncle and my cousin, when I was younger, both took their lives," Hurst said.

Hurst went down his own dark path of frustration and despair during his baseball career pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

"I ended up getting the yips. I went through depression and anxiety," Hurst said. "For those who don't know what the yips are, when I would hold the ball in my hand, my hand would sweat, and it would literally start to shake. I would have panic attacks on the mound."

Hurst put on a happy face around his family and initially tried to cope on his own.

"At first, I didn't do really well with it," Hurst said. "I kind of got heavily into drinking, which really didn't help with the depression and things like that."

He then started seeing a psychiatrist at home in Florida.

"I talked to a lot of my buddies who kind of went through similar things, and he [the psychiatrist] led me onto journaling, which I think kind of saved my life," Hurst said.

He got his anger out through that journaling. The star 2011 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game high school pitcher went from throwing 97 mph strikes to knocking a player out with a wayward pitch. He knew it was time to move on.

"I just wanted nothing to do with it," Hurst said.

Hurst left baseball in 2015 and walked on to the South Carolina football team as a 21-year-old freshman. He only played football for one year in high school but quickly became a standout for the Gamecocks with his natural ability and work ethic. He was named to the first-team All-SEC and entered the draft at 24 years old.

Now he's on a mission to change misconceptions about mental health.

"I think the biggest one is it's perceived as a weakness to ask for help. I think that's why you see more athletes coming out now because they want to help, and they want to break that stigma," Hurst said. "By no means is that a weakness. I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me when I reached out for help."

The gentle giant is turning tragedy into action through the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation. His mom, Cathy, runs the organization focusing on mental health and suicide prevention for student-athletes ages 12 to 18.

"They can relate to it," Hurst said. "They see me as an NFL player and as this big, tough tight end, but he is also is a human being. He reaches out for help, so why can't I do it?"

Hurst hopes for more touchdowns to come this season and making a difference in the lives of his youngest fans.

"The other thing, too, with why I want to tell my story and why I'm not afraid to tell my story is hopefully people can see the silver lining in it," Hurst said. "He was feeling the way I feel. He was depressed and had anxiety, and he was able to dig himself out of that hole. Now he's in the NFL, so who knows what I can do?"

He speaks to students at Baltimore-area schools to spread awareness of mental health and is known for his message, "It's OK to not be OK."

On Wednesday, Hurst will host a fundraiser at The Grill at Harryman House (340 Main St.) in Reisterstown. Tickets to the tasting of pig-inspired dishes and pinot noirs are $150 per person and proceeds benefit the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation.

Pierre Henry Socks sells packs of socks that use the colors of the Ravens and Gamecocks. All proceeds go to Hurst's foundation.