CHARLOTTE — Robert Hunt is a large man. He is a loud man.

But there's also a version of Robert Hunt that likes to sink into the Earth a little, to tune out all the noise. To get back to himself, and remember where he came from.

There are players who like to take their shoes off and feel the grass for reasons they believe to be scientific. And maybe there's something to that.

But for Rob Hunt, his pregame strolls on the turf without shoes, and the longer ones he takes on Tuesday mornings, are more about centering his mind than anything to necessarily do with his body.

"It's literally a routine that I've been doing; it's just gratitude, honestly, just like me being grateful that God put me where I am today," Hunt said.

At this point, it's worth backing up to remember that this is a ma

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