By Emilee White
It’s time for part two of the crime stories and sports documentaries series that covers some not-so-easy topics. Next up is the Aaron Hernandez story.
**This story is an unbiased examination of Hernandez, his career as a football player, his criminal history, and his CTE diagnosis. Please be advised, this story does cover topics around suicide, and murder.**
Lights. Cameras. Action. Blood. Those four words can be used to describe the rampant life of Aaron Hernandez. Unfortunately, it was never going to get better.
Born in Bristol, Connecticut, Hernandez had a rough go at the start of his life. According to his brother, Hernandez was sexually abused by a babysitter when they were younger. Hernandez was also physically abused by his father, who was in and out of prison frequently along with his mother. Because of everything he had experienced so early in life, he began to act out, but sports seemed to be his only outlet.
His father was constantly pushing — and punishing — Hernandez and his brother to do better in school and sports, and he did in fact excel in sports, becoming a stand-out player on the football, basketball, and track teams; he was even named Connecticut’s Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year of high school. Hernandez started out as a wide receiver on his football team, but moved over to tight end and also played defense, which means he was prone or at least at high risk of concussions. In one event, in particular, Hernandez was hit so hard in the head by a blindside hit that he was knocked unconscious.
While deciding which college he wanted to play for, Hernandez originally had his eyes set on the University of Connecticut. However, the head coach of the University of Florida at the time, Urban Meyers, and the team quarterback Tim Tebow convinced Hernandez to come to Florida. After a lot of convincing, the young tight end was able to go to Florida a semester early before his high school graduation.
Obviously not having the emotional maturity to be in college, Hernandez succumbed to drugs and partying, which ultimately led to him having to end his exceptional collegiate career after three years. That wouldn’t be a problem it would turn out and Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft. There were conditions that Hernandez had to follow in order to remain a member of the Patriots organization, but it didn’t matter to him. If anything, Hernandez became more erratic in his professional career.
Fast forward to 2013. Hernandez is at the height of his career, and also deep in secrets, some that wouldn’t be revealed until much later. To make a long story short, Hernandez was convicted of the first-degree murder of Odin Floyd. There was no motive established as to why Hernandez did what he did, however, some have speculated that the reason why he committed the murder was because Floyd had found out about his sexuality.
Although never confirmed by Hernandez publicly, it has been rumored that he was gay, or at least bisexual as he has a girlfriend and child. Whether this was true or not, a high-profile NFL player was convicted of first-degree murder. It wasn’t until 2017 that a whole new light was shed on the murders, the rage, and the game itself.
There is no doubt Hernandez was responsible for all his crimes and all his actions. But there might have been a reason why Hernandez was the way he was. In 2017, Hernandez was found dead in his cell and it was determined he had hung himself. This came as a shock to a lot of people in Hernandez’s life because just hours earlier, he was showing no signs of wanting to hurt himself or being sad. It came as even more of a shock after it wasn’t the only recorded suicide by an ex-NFL player.
In May 2012, former NFL Junior Seau ended his life at the age of 43. Later in December that year, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself. Only two months later in February 2011, former NFL player Dave Duerson had also taken his own life. But what do all of these suicides, including Hernandez’s, have in common? They were all diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE is brain degeneration that is highly likely due to repeated head trauma, like concussions, a traumatic brain injury (TBI). CTE is considered very rare and much still remains unknown about the TBI, but it has been found most commonly in the brains of football players. Unfortunately, the only way to diagnose someone with CTE is through an autopsy.
The Mayo Clinic states a CTE diagnosis “requires evidence of degeneration of brain tissue and deposits of tau and other proteins in the brain.” A 2009 analysis showed that the average lifespan of someone with CTE was 51 years old and was subject to cognitive, emotional, and physical problems as well as behavioral issues. To learn more about CTE and other head-related issues, read this article published by Only Players.
The New York Times reported that as of 2021, “more than 315 former N.F.L. players have been posthumously diagnosed with C.T.E., including 24 players who died in their 20s and 30s,” said Dr. Ann McKee, director of the C.T.E. Center at Boston University. It was after Hernandez’s confirmed diagnosis that researchers were finding that CTE could cause violent behavior because the damage done to his brain was so severe that it was comparable to the brains of former NFL players in the 60s and 70s.
Hernandez’s story will always be that of a former New England Patriot tight end that played for only three seasons when he was arrested, charged, and convicted of first-degree murder. But with a diagnosis like CTE, could it have been an added factor to why he did what he did, or was Hernandez always destined for a story like this? No one will ever know.
If you haven’t already, check out the documentary, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, on Netflix.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall
