How Does Aaron Hernandez's CTE Diagnosis Affect a Potential Lawsuit Against the NFL?

Was Aaron Hernandez a murderer and a victim of suicide because he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)? Are the New England Patriots and NFL liable for Hernandez’s CTE?

These and related questions now take on legal significance.

On Thursday, attorney Jose Baez, who along with Harvard Law School Professor Ronald Sullivan successfully defended Hernandez in his Boston murder trial in April, announced that Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Patriots and NFL on behalf of her and Hernandez’s four-year-old daughter, Avielle Janelle Hernandez. In her complaint, Jenkins-Hernandez contends that the Patriots and NFL were negligent in…