Aaron Hernandez Had Severe CTE; Lawsuit Coming Against Patriots, NFL

Lawyers for Aaron Hernandez's daughter are suing the NFL and the New England Patriots over his death.

Attorney Jose Baez announced Thursday that Hernandez's daughter Avielle Hernandez has filed a federal lawsuit through her mother Shaynna Jenkins Hernandez against the league and the team, following the announcement that the former Patriots tight end had Stage 3 CTE. Experts at Boston University who studied Hernandez's brain said it was the most severe case of CTE they had ever seen in a person his age BU Medicine said in a statement.

Boston University officials say Hernandez also had early brain atrophy and perforations in a central membrane. CTE can only be diagnosed in an autopsy.

Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Boston noted that Hernandez's condition is usually seen in players with a median age of death of 67. The daughter and fiancee of Hernandez are seeking $20 million.

Hernandez was drafted out of the University of Florida by the Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft. He 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.

Click here to read the full lawsuit.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this article.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, Pool File