It’s an increasingly common story in football: When experts examine the brains of former players, they find that many have a disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of brain degeneration caused by years of repeated head injuries and concussions. The result is an often tragic situation that can cause aggressive behavior, a loss of memory and cognitive function, and in some cases, violence, depression and suicide.
Aaron Hernandez was only 27 when he died. The former New England Patriot was convicted of murdering a man in a fit of rage before committing suicide in his jail cell in 2017. Experts posthumously diagnosed him with CTE, along with a number of players that have fallen on similarly tragic circumstances. The numbers, meanwhile, are staggering. One study found when the brains of deceased former football players were examined, 87 percent of college players and 99 percent of NFL players had CTE, a condition that was once considered rare.
