Aaron Hernandez’s Family Drops CTE Lawsuit Against NFL

Family lawyer says federal case could be refiled; for now, will be moved to state court.

Former New England Patriots Player Aaron Hernandez Led Violent Life in Prison Before Death
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez sits at the defense table during his double murder trial at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Mar. 2, 2017.(Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

In recent months, it’s been revealed that Aaron Hernandez suffered from a severe CTE. In the wake of that news, the Hernandez family also filed a federal lawsuit against the NFL and New England Patriots, claiming the late player could’ve been better protected from the degenerative brain disease.

For some pocket Sherlocks, it seemed like an airtight case, but the family’s lawyers have since had a change of heart. According to the New York Times, they’ve now dropped the suit, but have held out the possibility of refiling it at some future juncture.

That said, the family’s lawyer said that he’d be refiling the case in Massachusetts state court, as it “would be a better venue for his case because it allowed more claims to be filed there than in federal court,” per the Times.

Regardless of the venue, the Hernandez family faces an uphill battle with any CTE-focused case, as lawyers would have to prove that hits Hernandez received specifically in the NFL led to his off-field problems.

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