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| Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez had 'most severe' brain disease | Ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez had 'most severe' brain disease |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| An ex-NFL footballer who killed himself in April after he was acquitted in a double murder trial had a "severe case" of a neurodegenerative brain disease. | An ex-NFL footballer who killed himself in April after he was acquitted in a double murder trial had a "severe case" of a neurodegenerative brain disease. |
| Aaron Hernandez, 27, suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with head injury, his family lawyer said. | Aaron Hernandez, 27, suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with head injury, his family lawyer said. |
| He was found hanging in a Massachusetts prison, where he was serving a life sentence for another murder. | |
| Hernandez's family had asked his brain to be tested for CTE. | Hernandez's family had asked his brain to be tested for CTE. |
| His attorney, Jose Baez, disclosed the CTE revelation as he sued Hernandez's former team, the New England Patriots, and the NFL on behalf of the athlete's young daughter. | |
| Researchers at Boston University, which studies the progressive degenerative disease that is found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, found Hernandez's brain to be at "an advanced stage" of CTE, according to Mr Baez. | |
| "It was the most severe case they had ever seen," he told reporters in Boston on Thursday. | "It was the most severe case they had ever seen," he told reporters in Boston on Thursday. |
| CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, has been found in the brains of dozens of former American football players. | CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, has been found in the brains of dozens of former American football players. |
| His death came five days after he was acquitted in a double murder trial. | His death came five days after he was acquitted in a double murder trial. |
| The former tight end was reportedly found with a Bible verse scrawled on his forehead after he took his own life. | The former tight end was reportedly found with a Bible verse scrawled on his forehead after he took his own life. |
| The rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez | The rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez |
| He marked the gospel passage "John 3:16" in red ink on his forehead, according to local media reports. | He marked the gospel passage "John 3:16" in red ink on his forehead, according to local media reports. |
| It refers to the phrase: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." | It refers to the phrase: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." |
| Hernandez was cleared in the fatal shooting of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. | Hernandez was cleared in the fatal shooting of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado outside a Boston nightclub in 2012. |
| But he was still serving a prison sentence for a separate killing before his death. | But he was still serving a prison sentence for a separate killing before his death. |
| He had been found guilty in April 2015 of the first-degree murder of his friend, another American footballer, the semi-professional Odin Lloyd, in 2013. | He had been found guilty in April 2015 of the first-degree murder of his friend, another American footballer, the semi-professional Odin Lloyd, in 2013. |
| Lloyd's body was found with six bullet wounds less than a mile from Hernandez's home. | Lloyd's body was found with six bullet wounds less than a mile from Hernandez's home. |
| Within hours of his arrest for the 2013 shooting, the Patriots sacked Hernandez, considered one of the top tight ends playing the game. | Within hours of his arrest for the 2013 shooting, the Patriots sacked Hernandez, considered one of the top tight ends playing the game. |
| Hernandez was given a life sentence without parole. | Hernandez was given a life sentence without parole. |