Aaron Hernandez Had Severe C.T.E. When He Died at Age 27

The New York Times reported yesterday that an autopsy report on 27-year-old Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end and convicted murderer, showed evidence of severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Hernandez committed suicide earlier this year. 

Excerpts from the article:

"Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the CTE Center at Boston University, examined his brain and said in a statement that Mr. Hernandez had “early brain atrophy” and “large perforations in the septum pellucidum, a central membrane” of the brain. The slides also showed what she called “classic features of C.T.E. in the brain,” including deposits of tau protein in the front lobes of the brain in nerve cells around small blood vessels."

"The trauma to Mr. Hernandez’s brain raises fresh questions about the dangers of playing tackle football. This week, other researchers at Boston University published research that found that adults who began playing tackle football before they were 12 years old developed more cognitive and behavioral problems later in life than those players who started tackle football after they reached that age."

Thanks to Dr. Mark Cohen for alerting me to this article.