The more we learn about Aaron Hernandez’s brain, the more it paints a grim picture of the potential role football plays in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Hernandez, who in April died by suicide in prison while serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd, was suffering from a “severe” case of CTE at the time of his death, Boston University CTE Center director Dr. Ann McKee revealed in September. And on Thursday, McKee shared additional findings from her examination of Hernandez’s brain.
The former New England Patriots tight end suffered “severe damage to parts of the brain that play an important role in memory, impulse control and behavior,” according to McKee, via the Associated Press. McKee said she could not say whether Hernandez’s Stage 3 CTE caused his erratic behavior.
However, she reportedly did say that the frontal lobe was among the important parts of Hernandez’s brain that suffered “substantial” damage.
Jose Baez, Hernandez’s attorney, sued the NFL and the Patriots in September on behalf of his client’s daughter.
Thumbnail photo via The Sun Chronicle/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports Images
