Aaron Hernandez had advanced stages of CTE normally found in man in his late 60s, lawyer Jose Baez said in a news conference Thursday. The CTE was at Stage 3 (of 4).
Baez also said a federal lawsuit against the NFL and the New England Patriots on behalf of Hernandez's daughter was filed this afternoon.
Following an investigation into his death, authorities said Hernandez's brain would released to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, per the request of his family.
BU has studied CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to football players and other athletes who might have sustained concussions or other head trauma while playing.