Fact Check: Did Aaron Hernandez have CTE?

Former Florida Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez, who played from 2007 to 2009, stands as a stark example of the NFL's struggles with addressing player health concerns. The league has often faced allegations of concealment of facts and sluggish responses to these issues. It draws widespread criticism when such cases make headlines.

Following the cases like Hernandez's, along with players like Junior Seau, Ken Stabler, and Ray Easterling, the NFL initiated changes aimed at better supporting players fighting brain diseases and Alzheimer-like symptoms.

The documentary 'League of Denial,' which follows NFL player Mike Webster as he has brain surgery, vividly portrays a narrative that was initially covered in a 2005 newspaper report.

Who was Aaron Hernandez? What happened to him?

Aaron Hernandez was in custody for Fiancee's Brother's Murder

Hernandez was an American football tight end who played three seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots. Not only did he receive the 2008 BCS National Championship, he has also claimed first-team All-America honors.

A significant appearance was made by him in Super Bowl XLVI. However, Aaron was arrested and convicted of the murder of Odin Llyod in the 2013 offseason. He was acquitted in the 2017 trial, and only days later, he hung himself.

When researchers scanned Hernandez's brain, they were astonished by the fact that the former Gators player had severe CTE. This case was termed a ‘crucial link’ in the study of the correlation between brain disease and the deaths of professional football players.

Who is the most famous football player with CTE?

Mike Webster, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, is popularly known as the 'test case', that brought the possibility of CTE and other degenerative brain diseases to contact sports like football and boxing. He had black spots on his brain from recurrent brain injuries from playing 17 seasons as a center.

How old was Aaron Hernandez when he was diagnosed with CTE?

Aaron Hernandez was 27 years old when he committed suicide in April 2017. When a deep analysis of Aaron Hernandez's brain was done, researchers discovered this stage of CTE is usually present in players who have hit their 60s.

What is CTE?

Medically termed "chronic traumatic encephalopathy", CTE is a neurodegenerative disease that has plagued many players in contact sports. One of the major causes of CTE is repetitive mild trauma to the head.

Although players are well-informed that playing on the field and using their bodies as weapons comes at a cost, the ‘informed soldier’ narrative is carried forward. In pursuit of glorifying masculine ideals, many high-profile players become case studies of CTE. It is associated with violence, depression, and dementia-like symptoms. The same was suffered by Hernandez.