Brett Favre is undoubtedly one of the greatest football players of all time and was rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. But between his rise to stardom and his impressive career as a football player, his life wasn’t always so rosy.

The young boy from rural Mississippi became a household name, but not only for his achievements in football. He struggled with a publicized pill addiction, lost his father and dealt with other scandals about his personal life as well. Now, Favre is much more open about his life, and we have more inside knowledge as to his life story.

Humble Beginnings

Brett Favre had his humble beginnings in a small town of only 2,000 people in Kiln, Mississippi. This little town is located near the Gulf Coast and is an hour’s drive from New Orleans. When the Favre family decided to settle in Kiln, they bought a lot of land where they could fish and hunt as they pleased and built themselves a big house with a huge deck. Brett’s father once said that they had decided to build such a large house so that people could come and party or relax with them while the Favre family wouldn’t have to leave their home! Favre has become very popular and well-loved in his hometown, where the residents have decorated almost every surface with Green Bay Packers colors and signs.

Even though everyone now knows Brett as a skilled quarterback with a powerful throwing arm, he didn’t start out as a quarterback. In fact, his first-ever football game was in the fifth grade when he played at his school’s “Fifth Grade Jamboree”. Brett scored three running touchdowns and everyone saw he had the potential to be a great football player someday. Something else happened during his Jamboree that we (and the Packers) are lucky didn’t put Brett off of sports forever: when he got in the end zone for the touchdown, one of his classmates ran up to him and pulled his pants down!

A Coach Who Always Pushed Him to Go Further

Eventually, Brett Favre joined his high school football team where he played the position of lead offensive blocker. It just so happened that his father was the school’s football coach, but he never went easy with his son or showed him any type of favoritism.

Even his other teammates said that, in fact, Coach Favre was always tougher on his son than on any other player, which only made young Brett work tougher and harder.

The Car Accident that Almost Ended His Career

Favre was only a freshman when he took to the field of the University of South Mississippi and managed to save the game with a comeback victory, ending the game with a score of 31-24. This win ultimately set the stage for a huge career in college football. However, his career almost ended when he got into a horrible car accident just one weekend before he started his senior year.

Even though the doctors had to take out 30 inches of his intestine, Brett still came back to play quarterback in the second game of the season against the University of Alabama and brought victory for his team with a score of 27-24.

Flying with the Falcons

As people had predicted, Brett had an amazing career in college football and even got drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL drafts, where he was the 33rd overall pick. However, the Falcons weren’t a very good fit for him as his skills weren’t even put to good use. He was even always made fun of by the coach for being from Mississippi.

In the end, he was used to settle a bet that his coach had made against other coaches, which was that Brett could throw into the third deck of a stadium.

Finally Getting Married

Brett met and fell in love with his wife Deanna when they were very young and they have been inseparable ever since. The couple has been together since they were both 14 years old, remaining together all throughout college. In 1989 they had their first child together, a daughter named Brittany. It was hard for the couple at first because they both came from families that weren’t so well off and they were still in college, so raising a baby was a challenge.

Brett Favre finally admitted that he had a drug problem in a 1995 press conference, where he admitted to having a problem and said that he was going to a treatment center voluntarily to try and kick his addiction to the pain medication he had been taking for years. He and Deanna had a tough decision to make if they were going to break up over the issue or not. However, a year into his rehab, Brett proposed to his longtime girlfriend and they were finally officially married.

Coming Back from Rehab

The pill addiction couldn’t bring Brett down and when he came back from rehab, he was stronger, faster and better than ever before in his career.

This whole journey Brett had gone through made him even more well-liked among his fans, who now saw him not just as a sports star, but as a human being who goes through hard times just like they themselves do. The fans supported their beloved quarterback through everything.

No Time for a Honeymoon

While he was in the middle of his first season playing with the Atlanta Falcons, Brett got a call from Ron Wolf who was the general manager of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers decided to trade their first round draft pick so Favre could be the backup quarterback. And when the first sting quarterback got injured during the second game of the season, Favre stepped in and ended up winning the game against Cincinnati Bengals 24-23.

Even though most NFL players have glamorous honeymoons, the Favre family didn’t get the chance to have one. They returned to Green Bay right after their wedding so that Brett could get back to town in time for the training camp that would prepare him for the following season. Brett was determined to bring his team to the Super Bowl and prove he was back in form after finishing rehab. His efforts paid off because his coaches were obviously impressed.

Some of the Best Hands in Football

The man who coached Brett Favre when he was playing with Green Bay said that Brett had one of the strongest throwing arms in the NFL. They say that though Brett was very reckless on the football field, that’s what gives him all of his speed and strength. He had no trouble throwing the ball to his receivers and passing between linebackers and defenders. Winning was the only thing on Brett’s mind when he was on that field.

During his second season with the Green Bay Packers, Brett continued to break records (as he’d come to be known for) and eventually brought his team to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. He also managed to break the Packers’ season touchdown passing record that had been set in 1994. Though unfortunately, all his hard work and desire to push every limit have severely damaged his health, for Brett, injuries and pain are just another part of the game.

Leading His Team to Victory

After he was back from rehab better than ever, it was no surprise he led the Green Bay Packers through their best season in over 30 years. In 1996, the Packers were the leading NFL team in scoring and it was all thanks to Brett. Brett described their 1997 Championship game against the Carolina Panthers as one of the best ones of his career since it was played in Green Bay and the stadium was full of Cheeseheads. The game saw the Packers go on to beat the Panthers 30-13.

Finally, Brett had managed to fulfill the dream he had been working on the entire season and brought his team to the Super Bowl. The game was hosted in New Orleans, just an hour’s drive away from his hometown of Kiln. Their opponents in the game were one of the best teams in the league, The New England Patriots. The time had finally come to put to use all of the hard work and training both Brett and the team had been going through.

Seeing the Field in His Eye’s Mind

Back when Brett was just starting out in the NFL, he didn’t even know what a nickel defense was. However, when his team played against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, he could easily read the field like nobody else, which only improved his athletic abilities. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that Favre managed to bring his team to victory in the decisive game against the Patriots with a score of 35-21. Even though he managed to turn his dream of winning the Super Bowl into a reality, Brett kept thinking about how he still had a lot to do. However, he was much different from any of his teammates because he was always a much more down-to-earth and relatable person who was a celebrity in the public eye. Americans fell in love with him because he was a hard-working family man – a.guy everybody could see themselves as.

Another reason Brett is so well-liked by Americans is that it turns out that he is a joker who loves to have fun at work. To Brett, it doesn’t matter who you are because he treats everyone the same (as long as they were a good person). Everyone from janitors to coaches was equally respected in his eyes. Brett has explained how he doesn’t do this to be more likable to fans, but to be a decent human being. To this NFL player, everyone was the same, and that only endears him more to the public.

Living Together

For the first three years of their marriage, Brett was actually all the way on the other side of the country and it wasn’t a surprise that the couple’s marriage began to suffer despite the joy the big Super Bowl win brought. Even though Deanna and her daughter Brittany were extremely close to their families in Mississippi, Deanna realized that a little girl needs to grow up with her father. For that reason, the two of them moved to Wisconsin and moved in with Brett. The Favre family was blessed with another member in 1999 when the couple had a daughter named Breleigh. At this point, Brett was really on top of his professional game, appearing on TV shows, and getting endorsements and sponsorship deals. Green Bay Packers fans saw him as a god. However, despite all the fame, Brett did his best to stay grounded and not let it the fame get to his head. He even babysat his two daughters from time to time!

Brett always tried to be a fun dad. Breleigh sometimes speaks about how her dad blasted country music whenever he dropped her off at school. Her older sister Brittany recalls how her dad, in a less-sweet turn, would embarrass her by throwing a bunch of tennis balls at her when she was being dropped off.

What Comes Up Must Fall Down

Even though it seemed like Brett Favre would never be knocked off of his NFL throne, it all changed in 2005 when the Green Bay Packers drafted a quarterback by the name of Aaron Rogers. At first, Brett had no problem with the backup quarterback…as long as he was regulated to the sidelines. However, this happened to be a bad year for Brett, and it was the first season where he didn’t play at his usual standard. In 2007, Brett managed to pick up the pace one more time and play an amazing season for the last time. The city of Green Bay celebrated the victory with him and his teammates, and a sense of unity could be felt around everyone in the Green Bay squad. However, during that NFC Championship, Brett played one of the worst games in his life, which resulted in a win by the New York Giants with a score of 20-23.

After Favre officially announced his retirement and left the Green Bay Packers on March 4, 2008, you could hear rumors going left and right regarding who could possibly replace such an epic player and fill the enormous shoes he had left behind. There were many names that were mentioned such as Rex Grossman and Kyle Boller, but ultimately the Packers’ management board picked a replacement: Aaron Rodgers, who quickly proved himself to be a worthy player in his own right.

Singing With the Minnesota Vikings

Even though Favre had said that this would be his last season and that he would be retiring, he soon announced that he was never fully committed to retirement and that he had changed his mind. However, his old team, the Green Bay Packers, didn’t want him back so he decided to play with the Minnesota Vikings (after a year stint with the Jets). He only singed with the Vikings because he wanted to have his revenge against the Packers. He managed to take his new team to the NFC Championship with 12-4.

However, it soon became obvious that his body wasn’t able to endure so much physical strain anymore, which resulted in of the worst seasons Favre had ever had. He suffered a concussion in 2010 and subsequently wasn’t able to pass the post-concussion tests to play in a 2011 game. He at least managed to quit on his own terms when he realized his time as a professional athlete was over, and he ended his professional football career by attending a ceremony organized by Green Bay where his number four was retired.

Brett Favre’s Net Worth

After an illustrious and lengthy professional football career, it’s no surprise that Brett has an incredibly high net worth to show for his skill and talent on the field. How high is it you may wonder?

Currently, it’s around $100 million, making him the eighth-wealthiest NFL player in the world.  When Favre signed the contract with Jets to play in their 2008 season, he received $100 million, but he also earns around $9 million every year from endorsements.

Getting Recognized for His Achievements

In 2016, six years after his retirement, the National Football League Hall of Fame decided to include Brett in their exclusive club. He gave a speech about his father and how that man had been the reason why he worked so hard to be the very best in his field.

Because his father expected greatness, Brett did everything in his power to make him happy. Being included in the Hall of Fame as one of the best football players of all time must have been a proud moment.

The Scandal That Almost Ruined It All

No matter all the accolades, just like a lot of professional athletes, Brett Favre was involved with a scandal. Unfortunately, Brett went through scandals not just once, but three times in 2010. He was involved in a texting scandal with three different women, the most well-known one being a Jets sideline reporter from New York named Jenn Sterger, who claimed that she got a lot of suggestive text and voice messages from the football player during his 2008 season with the Jets.

Jenn Sterger, as the first woman to have spoken out against Brett, kept quiet for several years but finally decided to give an exclusive interview about the scandal when she appeared on Good Morning America. About the texting incident with Brett, she said, “I’m not a gold-digger…I haven’t made a dime off anything in this whole situation. Not from the pictures. Not from Favre. I never wanted to sue anyone. That was never an intention of mine.” The two other women who accused Brett of sending inappropriate behavior and text messages were Christina Scavo and Shannon O’Toole. These two women both worked for the Jets as massage therapists during Brett’s season with the team but lost their jobs after complaining about him to their boss. They claimed that Brett had sent them racy text messages. Scavo’s husband even asked the famous football player to apologize, which he apparently brushed off and failed to do.

Favre Kept Quiet

Favre avoided talking about the issue as much as he could and mostly spoke through his legal team. He only gave one official statement to the press in which he said, “No. Man I’m not gettin’ into that… I’ve got my hands full with the Jets and trying to get some timing down with our guys. So that’s all I’m gonna discuss”. However, the NFL decided to post an official statement about the investigation. They had this to say: “On the basis of the evidence currently available to him, Commissioner Goodell could not conclude that Favre violated league policies relating to workplace conduct.”

When the texting scandal finally came to a legal end, Brett’s lawyer declared that an agreement was made by both parties. However, he also refused to disclose any further details of the settlement. All he had to say to the reporters was that the case was “resolved and discontinued.” Although the legalities were settled, Brett ended up having to pay a $50,000 fine to the NFL because they claimed that he was not completely honest during the investigation.

The Younger Daughter, Daddy’s Little Athlete

Despite the scandals, Brett’s family life is rock-solid. He has two daughters with his wife. The younger one, Breleigh, is currently 17 years old as is a recent high school graduate. When the young woman graduated, her father tweeted: “Bittersweet day for Deanna and I. Proud of our beautiful and humble daughter, Breleigh!” Even though the youngest Favre daughter hasn’t even turned 18 yet, she has still managed to break into the sports world as an athlete in her own right and show off her amazing volleyball abilities.

This girl is 6 feet tall and can jump like she’s jumping on springs! When asked about if it’s hard to be the daughter of a famous football player, she said that it can be tough but it just makes her work harder and try and prove that she’s a good enough athlete on her own.

The Older Daughter, the Famous One

Favre’s older daughter Brittany became famous too but not for a reason that would make her father proud. She became well known all over the internet because she was beautiful. There were a lot of reasons why Brittany became noticed by the crowd: her good looks, huge smile, and blond hair gave her the “America’s sweetheart” look. She first appeared on TV next to her father and she was immediately noticed by the public and everyone talked about how gorgeous she was.

Her photos soon ended up in various sports forums. But it turned out that there was a girl somewhere out there who looked exactly like Brittany and was so proud of her curves that she posted provocative photos on her Instagram account. This girl’s photos ended up on the internet under Brittany’s name. Even though Brittany had some attention-grabbing photos that were shared online, some of the most famous ones weren’t even of her. Still, the photos managed to give Brittany a bad reputation.

Making Her Father Proud

Bouncing back from her own scandal, not only is Brittany happily married, but she also has a successful career as a certified lawyer. After graduating from Loyola University’s school of law in New Orleans she passed the BAR exam and joined a law office in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

She did all of this when she was already a mother and her father is extremely proud of her. Brittany said how her father and the rest of the family was always supportive of her wish to pursue a career in law.

Spending Quality Time With His Wife

Since his football career has ended, Brett and his wife Deanna enjoy spending a lot of time together, especially taking part in outdoor activities. For example, the couple traveled to Key West in Florida to take part in the Key West Sprint Triathlon.

The former football player was actually much slower than anyone expected and ended up finishing the race in 187th place! On the other hand, his wife managed to surpass him and she finished in number 97.

Brett’s Famous Truck

Brett was always associated with his famous truck, the 2007 Ford F-150. It was put up for sale by Brett in 2009 (he and Deanna actually autographed it) and has switched many hands in the last few years.

Currently, the truck is in Wisconsin, and it got there after it was bought by a local resident on eBay, where the starting price was $17,000. The owner, unfortunately, ended up having to sell the truck as it wasn’t able to fit into his garage.

Next up, take a deeper look into the rise of Aaron Hernandez as well as the irreversible act that would bring his world crashing down.

Fall From Glory: The Aaron Hernandez Story

On April 23, 2010, Aaron Hernandez achieved a feat that millions of kids can only dream of – getting drafted into the NFL.

At just 21 years old, the young tight end seemed to have his entire future worked out. After all, Hernandez was well on his way to establishing a promising football career and reaping all the money, fame, and adoration that came with it. Unbeknownst to the public, however, there was deep-seated darkness rooted within the young player’s soul. After just three years of NFL action, the lives of Hernandez and everyone close to him would forever be altered because of one fateful night. Let’s take a deeper look into the rise of Aaron Hernandez as well as the irreversible act that would bring his world crashing down.

It’s In The Genes

Aaron Josef Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut. The son of Dennis Hernandez and Terri Valentine-Hernandez, one could say that football was in his blood. After all, his father Dennis was a former football star, dazzling crowds during his high school days before taking the field for the University of Connecticut.

But athleticism was not the only thing that Hernandez inherited from his father. For much of their childhoods, Aaron and his older brother Jonathan were the victims of physical abuse at the hands of their father. In fact, the beatings got so bad that Jonathan once threatened to call the authorities in response. Could it be that Aaron will inherit these violent tendencies?

Finding His Feet

While attending Bristol Central High School, Hernandez developed into a strong athlete, representing his school in both basketball and football.

But even as he seemed to be undergoing a major athletic transformation, the teenager was troubled. Not only did both his parents have criminal records, but the pair also struggled financially, filing for bankruptcy when Aaron was just two years old. Aaron also remembered how his parents would get into heated arguments, with his mother throwing his abusive father out of the house on several occasions. In addition to these domestic issues, Jonathan revealed later in life that Aaron was also sexually abused by an older boy. He was just six years old at the time.

Tragedy Strikes

In 2006, the 16-year-old Aaron and his brother Jonathan would endure the toughest moment in their already challenging lives – the death of their father, Dennis. Bizarrely, Dennis passed away as a result of complications from routine hernia surgery. According to Aaron’s mother, her son was never the same after the funeral. In fact, it was after this moment that he began acting out against authority figures.

Still, even after suffering such tragedy, Aaron had to continue fighting if he was to mold a successful future in football for himself. After catching 24 touchdowns for his Bristol Central, Aaron was named a high-school All-American. During the same year as his father’s passing, Aaron led his team to the 2006 Central Connecticut Conference Southern Division Championship. Clearly, Aaron’s talent was indisputable. It was only his newly acquired drug addiction that would pose a potential threat to his future.

Go, Gators!

In January 2007, Aaron graduated high school early and enrolled at the University of Florida, where he soon became a star tight end for the Florida Gators. Standing at 6″2 and 245 pounds, Hernandez was a sturdy blocker, and his steady hands and lightning sprint speed made him lethal on the breakaway.

At the same time, however, Aaron’s questionable behavior almost disrupted his promising career. The same year that he arrived in Florida, the hot-headed Hernandez got into an argument at a bar in Gainesville over an unpaid tab for two drinks. Even after teammate Tim Tebow tried to calm Hernandez down, he continued arguing with the waitress who inquired about the tab. Once the manager of the bar confronted him, Aaron punched him, puncturing his eardrum in the process. While Aaron was ultimately let off the hook, he failed to take this incident as a warning for the trouble he could land himself in if he did not keep his temper in check.

Gangland

In September, Aaron was once again drawn into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

While driving his Crown Victoria at around 2:20 a.m, Corey Smith was shot in the head by an unidentified shooter. In addition, one of his passengers, Justin Glass, was shot in the arm. Randall Cason, who was the third passenger, said he and his brother got into a heated altercation with UF football players at the nightclub Venue, with his friends coming to his aid. Among the four players that were questioned by the police was Aaron. Yet again, Aaron found himself in hot water.

Reaching New Heights

Despite his questionable actions off the field, Hernandez continued to shine for the Gators. An honorable mention All-American for the 2008 team that won the National Championship, Aaron was named a Consensus All-American the following year. In 2009, he was a crucial component in the Gators team that defeated Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to win the BCS Championship.

In his junior year, Hernandez won the John Mackey Award as the best collegiate tight end in the nation. Having made 111 catches in three seasons – a school record for tight ends – Hernandez had achieved a record for tight ends. Upon winning the 2010 Sugar Bowl with the Gators, Hernandez decided to forego his senior year and enter the NFL Draft.

The Draft

Unfortunately, finding a team would prove more difficult for Hernandez than it appeared on the surface.

As a result of his drug addiction, Hernandez flunked numerous drug tests during his college years. This, together with Hernandez’s previous run-ins with the law, made NFL teams hesitant to sign the promising young player. Fortunately for Hernandez, he was finally selected in the fourth round of the draft by the New England Patriots, making him the 113th pick overall. Would Aaron’s professional career live up to his college years?

The Sky’s The Limit

Upon reaching the NFL, Aaron made an immediate impact. During his rookie year, Hernandez scored six touchdowns, with his debut touchdown coming courtesy of quarterback Tom Brady. As the youngest player in the NFL in 2010, Hernandez proved that he could compete with the league’s best, particularly after earning a rookie team record of 45 catches.

The following year, Hernandez and fellow 2010 draft pick Rob Gronkowski formed an unbreakable offensive partnership. Together, the duo took the Patriots to Super Bowl XLVI, where they narrowly lost 21–17 to the New York Giants. Thanks to Hernandez’s efforts on the field, the Patriots offered him a five-year contract extension in August 2012. But how long would it be until Hernandez’s bad behavior would catch up with him?

Joy Overshadowed By Chaos

On November 6, 2012, Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Avielle. For Hernandez, witnessing his daughter’s birth on his own birthday could very well have been a perfect birthday gift. But unfortunately, in Hernandez’s life, the good times were soon followed by sorrow.

In February 2013, a friend of Hernandez by the name of Alexander Bradley was shot in his face at a strip club in Miami. According to Bradley, Hernandez was the one who shot him, soon after the two of them got into an argument. After being left with permanent eye damage, Bradley filed a lawsuit against Hernandez in which he accused him of pulling the trigger. A few years later, the two would settle. While this incident may have left a foul taste, the worst was yet to come.

Spilling Blood

On June 17, 2013, a jogger came across the lifeless body of semiprofessional football player Odin Lloyd in an industrial park, just a mile away from Hernandez’s mansion in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.

But the proximity of Lloyd’s body to Hernandez’s home was not the only tie that Lloyd had to Hernandez. Lloyd also happened to be dating Shaneah Jenkins, the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée Shayanna Jenkins. Considering the connection that Hernandez had to Lloyd, the tight end was already in the hot seat once the police got their investigation underway. Plus, the fact that Hernandez decided to destroy surveillance footage from his home, along with his smartphone, did not help his case.

The End Of A Career

On June 26, the authorities led a handcuffed Hernandez out of his home after arresting him on a murder charge.

Despite pleading not guilty, the New England Patriots decided to release Hernandez from his contract, realizing that the short-tempered young man’s career was in shambles. While the authorities ended up releasing the tight end just hours after his arrest, Hernandez nevertheless had to prepare himself for a grueling legal battle.

The Prosecutor’s Argument

Once the prosecutor constructed a convincing argument against Hernandez, it seemed as if the former NFL star had a mountain to climb. It was believed that, during an evening out at a Boston nightclub, Hernandez became furious after Lloyd decided to speak with some of his enemies.

During the early hours of June 17, Hernandez and two friends drove around town in a rental Nissan Altima. Once they located Lloyd, Hernandez shot him multiple times at around 3:30 AM.

More Evidence

Not only did security footage show the Nissan Altima at the industrial park at the time of the shooting, but further footage from Hernandez’s home security cameras showed him arriving home shortly after with a gun in hand.

Considering that .45-caliber casings at the crime scene matched those in the rented car as well as at a condo owned by Hernandez, things weren’t looking so good for the former football player. But once this case got underway, new accusations against Hernandez also came to light.

Drive-By Shooting

In May 2014, the police found yet another crime that Hernandez was connected two. This was the 2012 drive-by shooting of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston. It was discovered that, before their deaths, the pair were at the same nightclub as Hernandez

. It was further theorized that Hernandez targeted their pair as they left the club, deciding to shoot them in their car as they waited at a traffic light. Unbelievably, there was another crime that Hernandez was linked to, namely the 2007 non-fatal shooting of two men in Gainesville, Florida. Clearly, Hernandez’s path to acquittal was not getting any easier.

The Battle In Court

Of all the crimes that Hernandez was linked to, first up was his trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

With the trial lasting a little over two months, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, a charge that the jury deliberated for six days. As stipulated by Massachusetts law, Hernandez was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Next up was the double shooting in 2012. For this case, Hernandez hired the help of celebrity attorney Jose Baez, who argued that the police were unfairly targeting Hernandez due to his status as an NFL player. While managing to get acquitted from this case, Hernandez still wanted to appeal his first-degree murder charge.

An Untimely Death

Just days after his acquittal, Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell at 3:05 a.m. on April 19, 2017.

Found hanging from his bedsheet, it was apparent that Hernandez had committed suicide. Having lived such a troublesome life, Hernandez’s family decided that upon his death, his brain should be donated to science. As they would soon learn, this decision proved to be the correct one, especially once it was discovered what was truly happening inside Hernandez’s head.

The Struggle With Mental Illness

Once the analysis of Hernandez’s brain got underway, revelations about the late NFL player-turned-killer came to light that even his closest friends and family members were unaware of.

According to a brain scan, Hernandez was found to have been suffering from an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that is common among football players. Caused by repeated blows to the head, CTE can result in increased aggression, poor impulse control, and other mental issues, while also leading to dementia. It just goes to show that sometimes there’s just no telling what’s really going on in someone’s head, even until after their death. But there was one more unsettled issue from Hernandez’s personal life.

Who Was Aaron Hernandez?

As if Hernandez’s life was already filled with controversy, several rumors had been circulating regarding his sexuality.

While some former friends and high school football teammates suggested that Hernandez had homosexual relations during his high school life, such claims have never been verified. Still, his former fiancee Shayanna Jenkins took to the Good Morning America talk show in 2020 to address these issues. While Shayanna confirmed that Hernandez had never expressed any feelings of being gay or bisexual to her, she nevertheless stated that she “would not have loved him any differently” even if such accusations were true.