Top 10 Sports Stories of 2017: (10) Tragic Ending

News: Aaron Hernandez Trial

Coming into 2017, things seemed like they could not get any worse for former NFL player turned convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez. However, the already tragic story came to a stunning end when Hernandez, 27, committed suicide in his Massachusetts prison cell.

In 2015, Hernandez was convicted in the June 2013 murder of former associate Odin Lloyd. Following his arrest for the crime, he was also indicted for the 2012 double-murder of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado.

Things took a turn earlier this year when Hernandez was found not guilty in the case of the 2012 murders. At the time, Hernandez’s counsel filed an appeal for his 2015 conviction.

Just five days after the not guilty verdict was delivered, Hernandez was found dead in his cell. The death would be ruled a suicide by hanging. Per a Massachusetts law, as Hernandez died during his appeal process, his 2015 conviction was formally vacated.

A September 2017 report that Hernandez has advanced stages of CTE. Although his troubled life dates back to his college days, his actions and ultimate death led many to raise the issue of CTE, and the part it may have played.

Join us tomorrow for our top stories of the year as we look at an experiment that may or may not have gone wrong.

Arrow to top