CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin always had a place to turn for advice and comfort during the first 26-plus years of his life.
If he had a bad game, his mom was there.
If he got in trouble or had a problem, his mom was there.
If the media was on him for a lack of production or his weight -- as was the case during the offseason -- his mom was there.
And then she wasn't.
Christine Benjamin passed the week before training camp in late July after a bout with chronic bronchitis.