In 2013, Aaron Hernandez, the former standout tight end for the New England Patriots football team, was charged with murdering his friend. Hernandez had a history of violence and infractions with the law, so his behavior appeared to be that of a typical psychopath. For this reason, Lovefraud covered the story:
Aaron Hernandez charged with murder; his cousin charged with contempt, on Lovefraud.com.
Hernandez was found guilty of the murder on April 15, 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two years later, at the age of 27, he hanged himself in prison.
An examination of Hernandez’ brain found that he suffered from CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy. It’s a condition caused by repeated blows to the head, and it’s been found in more than 100 NFL players. The disease leads to aggression and violent behavior.The doctor who performed the autopsy said it was the worst case she’d ever seen in someone as young as Hernandez.
Aaron Hernandez had severe CTE when he died at age 27, on NYTimes.com.
So was Hernandez a psychopath, or did he suffer from a brain injury? I wondered about his early behavior — did he show signs of disorder before football? By some accounts, he came from a good family, was a kid who never got into trouble, and then he took a turn for the worse.
He started playing football as a kid — was that the reason? But then again, psychopathy often appears during the teenage or early adult years — so was he disordered?
It will be very difficult to untangle this case. And it is a case, because Hernandez’ estate has filed a claim against the NFL.
But in any event, evidence is adding up blows to the head from football and other contact sports can cause severe brain injuries. It seems to me that children should not be playing football.
CTE Discoverer: We shouldn’t be surprised that Aaron Hernandez had CTE, on Fortune.com.
Yes, Aaron Hernandez suffered brain injury, but that may not explain his violence, on NYTimes.com.
How being devastated by the sociopath helped me find love