An autopsy has revealed that former NFL star Aaron Herandez had a severe case of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, researchers said Thursday.
Hernandez, 27, who was convicted of murder in 2015, was found dead in April in his Massachusetts prison cell. The former New England Patriots tight end was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 2013 fatal shooting of Odin Lloyd, who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée.
According to the director of the CTE Center at Boston University, the disease, which is linked to repeated head trauma, has been found in more than 100 former NFL players, some of whom have committed suicide.