This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
It's been more than seven years since former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murder in Massachusetts and committed suicide. as new series As the case gains renewed attention, forensic psychologists believe his traumatic childhood and severe brain injury may have been factors in his fall from sporting stardom.
“I think people look at this and think, 'This guy had everything to live for. He was in the NFL. … How could he do that?' But I don't think people understand. What we don't know is that psychologically, when a person experiences an encounter early in life, it can have a huge impact on how they feel about themselves, their anger, emotions, and even impulse control. “There is,” forensic psychologist Helen Smith told Fox News Digital.
In 2015, Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in addition to five firearms charges in the death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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Aaron Hernandez (left) sits with his attorney Charles Rankin during his trial in Bristol Superior Court on February 11, 2015 in Fall River, Massachusetts. (Related news organizations)
Hernandez was charged in a separate double murder case in 2014, but was acquitted in 2017. He is accused of killing Daniel de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Furtado, 28, in a drive-by shooting outside a Boston nightclub in July 2012. .
A few days after his acquittal, Hernandez was found hanging in his cell, and the death was ruled a suicide.
The former NFL superstar's downfall is reexamined in Hulu FX's latest series, “American Sports Story.” According to the streaming service's description, the show “explores various elements of his identity, family, career, suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture.”
After Hernandez's death, Diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy,CTE.
Ann McKeeA professor of neurology and pathology who was studying Hernandez's brain at the time said that Hernandez had the most severe form of CTE of anyone his age.
“It's an essential element of football,” she said. “Every time there's a tackle or a collision, there's a rapid force that affects the brain. … That's one of the challenges of keeping football safe.”
CTE is a disease found in athletes and others who have suffered repeated concussions or other brain trauma that is associated with dementia, mood changes, and aggression.
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Aaron Hernandez leaves the field after falling short on the final play of the Super Bowl against the New York Giants on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Matthew West/Media News Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
“Brain injuries usually result from concussions or multiple blows to the head. And while those injuries can damage the frontal lobe, they certainly make people more prone to depression and aggression. “It's easier,” Smith said. Said.
“But so far, there is no serious or clear connection between anyone's specific actions, like murder. So far, perhaps this is what happened in Aaron Hernandez's case, his case. But was it ultimately the only thing that led to his downfall? Masu.”
Hernandez's younger brother, Jonathan Hernandez, writes about these factors and his brother's childhood and secrets in his book, The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understanding My Brother.
Jonathan revealed in his book that Aaron was sexually abused by an older boy as a child.
“I've done therapy with men who have gone through events like that, and it's very traumatic. And in every case that I can think of, the men who have had something like this happen to at least The men who saw me were engaging in violent or violent behavior. They were dealing with angry tendencies,” Smith said.
“For Aaron Hernandez, his early experiences with older teenage children who abused him, perhaps physically, perhaps violently, could definitely have set the stage.”
She believes Hernandez's youth was a key factor in the lasting effects of such abuse.
“This boy abused himself. I think for a six-year-old boy to be abused by someone of the same sex at that point has a very serious impact on him,” Smith explained. “Six-year-olds are not able to process that kind of information and are at a stage where things seem black and white, and they may even become stagnant at that stage.”
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Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez attends an evidentiary hearing in Bristol County Superior Court on October 2, 2014 in Fall River, Massachusetts. (Reuters/CJ Gunther/Pool)
Hernandez's brother revealed in his book that he was physically abused by his father as a boy.
“He looks to his father as his protector, but not only does his father not protect him, he abuses and beats him,” Smith said. “The fact that he had a father who couldn't control himself means he learned, and it could even be genetic.”
Smith believes domestic violence and his father's early death were factors in Hernandez's later actions.
“When he was 16 years old, his father tragically passed away…and that probably set him on the path as well….When his father died, it was almost like, 'Who's to blame now? I was like, 'Right?'” she said. “He has anger inside him, all these things that happened to him, and his father being gone. And that anger goes to the men and women that come into his life, to the people who disrespect him, to maybe the next person.” It's directed at a man who says something like, “It's something negative for him. ”
Jonathan also revealed in the book that Aaron came out to his mother that he was gay while he was in prison.
According to Jonathan's book, Aaron said, “I didn't want to live in secret, I hated all the lies, but I felt like I had to do something like that because people wouldn't accept me.'' “I was there,” he said. “There was no way I could come out as an NFL player.”
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”He has tried to hide from the world the same way he wanted to hide the part of himself that was abused by his father. And at the same time, he's angry because he wants to be who he is,” Smith said. A grown man who can say, “Look, I'm going to protect myself no matter what.” But he has gone too far. ”
