Five months after Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in a prison cell with a bedsheet while serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, the former New England Patriots tight end has been diagnosed with severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Hernandez, who died at age 27, is one of the youngest former NFL players found to have the devastating disease linked to repeated brain trauma. In an announcement Thursday, Boston University’s CTE Center said doctors diagnosed Hernandez with Stage 3 CTE. Stage 4 is the most serious. Both stages, usually found in much older former players, are associated with aggressiveness, impulsivity, depression and memory loss. The effort, led by Dr. Ann McKee, also found he had “early brain atrophy” and “large perforations” on a central membrane in his brain. At the same time Thursday, Hernandez’s fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, sued the NFL and the Patriots on behalf of the couple’s daughter in U.S. District Court in Boston. The complaint seeks $20 million for “loss of parental consortium.” http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-aaron-hernandez-cte-20170921-story.html
It's fucked, one of my current favorite players is Jason Witten, a total beast and a true professional. He works his ass off every game and just grinds it out. Part of me is so happy to have him back but damn, he plays the same position as Hernandez. Gotta be worried about all the hits he's taken.
Any potential that Hernandez's crazy consumption of drugs such as PCP caused any of this? I'm not sure Hernandez's brain is the best sample to test.
I always had been an Antwon Boldin fan. He got blasted many times because he was fearless. I hope his future is clear.
