Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had one of the most severe cases of CTE researchers have encountered in someone his age, his lawyer said Thursday.
Boston University's center for the study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy announced Thursday that a study of Hernandez's brain indicated he had Stage 3 CTE, one step short of the most severe level. The 27-year-old killed himself in prison in April while serving a life sentence for murder.
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Attorney Jose Baez said he is filing a federal lawsuit against the NFL and the Patriots on behalf of Hernandez's daughter. According to the lawsuit, Stage 3 CTE is most commonly found in patients with a median age of 67.
Baez: #AaronHernandez had one of the most severe cases of CTE that BU researchers had seen for someone his age.
— Bob McGovern (@BobMcGovernJr) September 21, 2017
Here is the opening to the #AaronHernandez CTE lawsuit against the Patriots and NFL. pic.twitter.com/hgqsRngj5U
— Bob McGovern (@BobMcGovernJr) September 21, 2017
Neurologists who studied Hernandez's brain also found that the player "had early brain atrophy and large perforations in the septum pellucidum, a central membrane," according to a BU release.
