Aaron Hernandez Suffered Worst CTE For Someone His Age: Study

BOSTON, MA — There is no known 27-year-old who has suffered a more severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy than former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, according to a new study. Dr. Ann McKee, the head of Boston University’s CTE Center, said at a medical conference Thursday at the school that Hernandez's brain has provided “one of the most significant contributions to our work because of the brain’s pristine condition and the opportunity to study the disease in a 27-year-old brain," according to the Washington Post.

Slides at the conference showed dark spots on Hernandez's brain that are associated with tau protein and shrunken, withered areas. McKee said the damage had an impact on Hernandez's decision-making ability, judgment and cognition.

Researches said Hernandez's brain degenerated to a degree that is usually seen in a person in their late 60s.

In September, attorney Jose Baez announced that Hernandez's daughter Avielle Hernandez filed a federal lawsuit through her mother Shaynna Jenkins Hernandez against the NFL. That followed the announcement that the former Patriots tight end had Stage 3 CTE.

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Hernandez was drafted out of the University of Florida by the Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Bristol, Connecticut native played three seasons for the Patriots before he was arrested in 2013 and charged with murdering Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro. In 2015, he was found guilty of the killing and sentenced to life in prison.

This year, he was found not guilty of a 2012 South Boston double murder. Days later, he hanged himself inside his prison cell.

Hernandez had a history of behavioral problems. The Wall Street Journal reported that Hernandez received a 1 out of 10 for social maturity in a 2010 pre-draft evaluation. One NFL analysis wrote of Hernandez, "Self-esteem is quite low; not well-adjusted emotionally, not happy, moods unpredictable, not stable.”

As a freshman at the University of Florida, Hernandez punched a bar bouncer over a bill, allegedly breaking the bouncer's eardrum.

In February 2013, Hernandez allegedly shot a friend, Alexander Bradley in the face following a night of partying. That was settled in 2016.

McKeee has become noted for her study of CTE in the brains of former football players. In July, McKee and BU announced that of the 111 brains of former NFL players studied, 110 were found to have CTE.

Watch: Aaron Hernandez Had Severe CTE

Image Credit: AP Photo/Stephan Savoia