Aaron Hernandez’ brain scan reveals the 27-year-old had a severe case of CTE

Jared Wickerham | Getty Images

In a report released Thursday, it was announced that former New England Patriots’ tight end, Aaron Hernandez, had a severe case of the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

His lawyer announced a lawsuit against the NFL and the Patriots for not exposing the real dangers of football and the effects it could have on the brain. The lawsuit claims that the two entities failed to protect their players safety, leading to the disease that “deprived Hernandez’ 4-year-old daughter, Avielle, of her father’s companionship.”

“We’re told it was the most severe case they had ever seen for someone of Aaron’s age,” attorney Jose Baez said.

Hernandez was said to have Stage 3 out of 4 of the disease. The findings were done by Dr. Ann McKee, director of the CTE Center of Boston University.

Baez claimed Hernandez showed signs of memory loss, mood swings and aggression – things that could be associated with the brain disease. However, CTE was not brought up at his trials because he claimed actual innocence.

“It’s something I deeply regret,” Baez said.

In addition to being Stage 3 CTE, McKee claims that Hernandez also “had early brain atrophy and large perforations in the septum pellucidum, a central membrane.”

Both the NFL and the Patriots have not yet released comments on the lawsuit.

Source: Tests show Aaron Hernandez had severe CTE; daughter sues NFL, Pats

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