In April, NFL star Aaron Hernandez took his own life while serving a murder sentence in prison.
The following month, a Superior Court judge officially dismissed the murder conviction of the former New England Patriots player.
Now, according to new reports, tests reveal that Hernandez had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that has been discovered in more than 100 former NFL players.
From The New York Times:
A lawyer for Hernandez, Jose Baez, in announcing the result at a news conference Thursday, said researchers determined it was “the most severe case they had ever seen in someone of Aaron’s age,” which was 27.
Hernandez is the latest former N.F.L. player to have committed suicide and then been found with C.T.E., or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, joining Dave Duerson, Junior Seau, Andre Waters, Ray Easterling and Jovan Belcher, among others. Seau and Duerson shot themselves in the chest so that researchers would be able to examine their brains. Hernandez was found hanging in his prison cell.
Hernandez is reportedly one of the youngest former NFL players to have been found with the disease.
In light of the discovery that he had CTE, his family has filed a lawsuit against the NFL and The New England Patriots.
