Image via Getty/Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe
The second part of the Oxygen documentary Aaron Hernandez Uncovered highlighted some of the more stunning revelations surrounding the former New England Patriots tight end. With testimonies from a number of people including his lawyer Jose Baez, his fiancée Shayanna Jenkins, and members of the media who lived through the whirlwind trial, the documentary picked up where the first part left.
With rumors circulating regarding whether or not Hernandez was gay, and if he possibly suffered from CTE, the second part of the compelling documentary provided us with all those answers and more.
Was Aaron Hernandez Gay?
Hernandez’s college girlfriend Alyssa Anderson claims she was aware of his relationship with a man during their time at Florida. While Hernandez denied the rumor at the time, she says he “cryptically acknowledged her suspicions were true” several years later. George Leontire, an openly gay lawyer who also represented Hernandez, says he was clearly gay and acknowledged how much pain it had caused him.
Aaron Hernandez’s Battle With CTE
Following Hernandez’s stunning death, Baez wanted to look into his client’s potential battle with CTE. A study revealed that his brain was on the severe end of the spectrum, and was one of the worst cases for someone at his age.
Researchers at the Boston University claim that the severity of damage done to his brain was capable of significantly impacting his decision-making ability, and judgment.
The Challenge of Alexander Bradley
Throughout Hernandez's trial for the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, Baez made it his mission to prove that Alexander Bradley, the man who testified against the former football star, was not the person everyone thought he was. Even though Baez alleges that Bradley was coached up by the prosecution, Hernandez's attorney attempted to poke holes in his account of what happened on that fateful night.
Bradley alleges that Hernandez reached his body over from the passenger side when he fired shots at de Abreu and Furtado. However, Baez argues that it was only his arm. Hernandez's attorney attempted to point out his past as a drug dealer. It was up to the jury to determine if they could believe the account of someone with such a checkered background.
The Ill-Advised Commentary of Kirk Minihane, Gerry Callahan, and Michele McPhee
When Hernandez took his life, it was the same day the Patriots were celebrating their Super Bowl victory at the White House. Baez claims Hernandez's perspective on life appeared to be headed in the right direction when the two last spoke. Then, something happened. Was that something, or someone Kirk Minihane, Gerry Callahan, and Michele McPhee? Shortly before his death, the trio cracked jokes and leaked information about the former football player's sexual orientation.
And they didn't stop there. They also made light of the former football player possible issues with CTE.
What does Callahan think of all this unwanted attention?