Before he was convicted of murder in 2015, Aaron Hernandez was a star tight end for the New England Patriots. But his athletic success was marred by troubles that began in his childhood.
“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” an FX network production series by Ryan Murphy that premiered this week, explores Hernandez’s life and how he ended up serving time in prison for murder before dying by suicide in 2017.
The series is based on a podcast from The Boston Globe that looked at the NFL star’s life and death, including his post-mortem diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and early-life trauma.
Hernandez’s troubled upbringing and CTE diagnosis might have affected his behavior, experts say.
Heather Brenhouse, a psychology professor at Northeastern University, says childhood traumas can increase one’s risk for mental illness, especially if they don’t receive the proper support for processing these experiences.
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AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool, File
