Sidney Crosby reached out to T.J. Grant over concussion recovery

When it comes to missing time due to a concussion, few athletes are better equipped to give advice than Sidney Crosby. The NHL's two time leading scorer and two time MVP (among his many other awards) missed the better part of two seasons on the sidelines, while recovering from concussion related symptoms. He's returned to form lately, but that didn't stop him from reaching out to currently injured UFC title hopeful T.J. Grant, while Grant attempts to come back from his own injuries. Grant spoke about talking to Crosby on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. (Transcript via Sports Net)

"[Crosby] got in touch with me through a mutual friend," Grant explained. "Nice guy, reached out, gave me some information and kind of told me about his situation and he recommended I go check this place out. I'm really appreciative of him taking the time. I know he's a busy guy. It meant a lot.

"We're just a few years apart in age and grew up in the same town, so you just kind of know some of the same people and he took the time to reach out. It speaks a lot to the kind of human he is."

Grant also revealed, that along with talking to Crosby, he'll be seeing the same specialists that the NHL star went to for his recovery. (Transcript via MMA Fighting)

"I've been feeling pretty good for a while. If you don't feel normal - and there's definitely been days where, do I feel normal? No - but when I feel good, I feel good. I'm getting pretty close to feeling 100 percent normal, but still a little bit of a hurdle. Actually, I'm going down to Atlanta to see some people. They'll be the same people that Sidney Crosby went down and saw when he had his injury. I'm just optimistic. That's all. That's about it."
...
"I can train balls out fitness and all that stuff. I have no ill effects," Grant says. "I roll jiu-jitsu. I hit pads, all that stuff. I get my heart rate through the roof. I'm fine. I'm in great shape. For me, it comes down to...it's just weird. When you don't feel normal, you just don't feel normal. That's kinda where I'm at still. I want to make sure I'm 100 percent. When I am, I'm definitely going to get back in there.

All told, it sounds like good tidings from the no. 1 contender. Hopefully he can make his return sooner rather than later. He also talked about his thoughts of potentially retiring from the sport, and who he'd like to fight when he returns from injury. Check out the whole interview, below.