Aaron Hernandez’s family, from what one of his lawyers stated, plans to donate the brain of the former New England Patriots tight end to concussion researchers, according to USA Today.
Attorney Jose Baez said that the family has authorized Boston University — a prime go-to institution where brains have been examined in recent years in the study of the debilitating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — to study Hernandez’s brain. Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of former long-time friend Odin Lloyd, died Wednesday after he was found hanging from a bed sheet in his prison cell.
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“The family of Aaron Hernandez has decided to donate Aaron’s brain to the study so we can possibly help other young men who play football … further the cause, and possibly shed light and provide more evidence on this case,” Baez said.
Baez said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not released the brain to researchers as of 2 p.m. on Thursday. His body has been released following the autopsy, and Baez said pathologist Michael Baden was tapped to conduct an independent autopsy.
“It is our position that they are holding Aaron Hernandez’s brain illegally,” Baez said. “There is a fixing procedure to prepare these specimens. It is their position that they are going to be the ones to do the fixing procedure. The family does not have confidence in the medical examiner’s office.”
Needless to say, this case is more than high-profile and has stirred so many media rumblings it’s not even funny. One of the biggest items to come from this entire case? A television show.
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This entire case is a tragic end to a very tragic story, but it looks like that story is going to be explored in a new documentary TV series.
According to Deadline, the production company Blackfin is moving forward with a series about the trial and conviction of Hernandez. The series will follow the story of Hernandez life following his arrest for the murder of Lloyd, and include his trial regarding the double murder of Daniel de Abreau and Safiro Furtado in 2012.
The series will probably have the same feel as Making A Murderer, in that it will explore all of the behind-the-scenes events surrounding the trial and conviction. The company was scheduled to meet with streaming services regarding the rights to the series next week.
“The Hernandez case has been a compelling investigation, but as a result of this horrific turn of events, the focus of the project will experience an obvious shift,” said McDermott, CEO of Blackfin.
