Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc‪.‬ Wondery

When Aaron Hernandez was found hanging from a bedsheet in a maximum security prison cell in Massachusetts, he joined a growing number of former football players who’d taken their own lives. But he was the only one who left a trail of bodies in his wake. Spotlight investigates how Hernandez’s personal life spiralled out of control even as he rocketed to NFL stardom. His teammates on the Patriots were never sure whether he was a goofball who took a special kind of thrill in unnerving them, or whether he was truly dangerous.

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Aaron Hernandez was an exceptional athlete from an early age, a star in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut. His father was a charismatic ex-athlete still known by his high school nickname, “The King.” He ruled the Hernandez home through fear, and a strong opinion of how he believed his two sons were supposed to act. The long shadow of Aaron’s upbringing -- and his childhood secrets -- would hover over him his entire life.

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Aaron Hernandez was one of eight players who graduated high school early to join the powerhouse University of Florida football team. Six of them would go on to play in the NFL. Forget the senior prom, it was time to learn a playbook as thick as a dictionary. But perhaps the most important lesson he learned was after he got into a bar fight his freshman year: when you're a football player, actions don’t always have consequences.

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Aaron Hernandez was enjoying success on the field, but in his third season with the Patriots, the fragile balance of his life tipped. There were people who cared for him trying to intercede, from an old girlfriend to his teammates. But no one could successfully help him escape from violence, drugs, and extortion attempts.

For more information on issues raised by this series, including suicide prevention, mental health, LGBTQ+ support, and concussion and sports safety, here is a list of support groups and educational organizations




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With his arrest, Hernandez traded in his jersey number for an inmate number in the Massachusetts prison system. His voice was rarely heard from again in public -- but he spent hours talking on the phone from inside jail. Spotlight obtained ninety hours of jail calls -- never before heard publicly -- that provide an intimate look at his life and mind in the period before his first murder trial.

For more information on issues raised by this series, including suicide prevention, mental health, LGBTQ+ support, and concussion and sports safety, here is a list of support groups and educational organizations




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In life, Aaron Hernandez weighed 240 pounds. In death, the most important part of his body was just over 3 pounds. When researchers analyzed his brain they were shocked by what they found. A lifetime of football had seemingly taken a tremendous toll, but could it explain his violent crimes?




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