Aaron Hernandez Mental Health: NFL Head Trauma Lead to Charges and Alleged Violent Past, Shrink Says
Aaron Hernandez's alleged violent past, including his most recent murder charge, was brought on by head trauma the former Patriots tight end suffered on the field, according to experienced forensic psychiatrist and Fox News contributor Dr. Keith Ablow.
In an article Ablow wrote for FoxNews.com yesterday, the shrink said several occurrences in Hernandez's life could of lead to his alleged violent history. Amongst them, Ablow points out the head trauma the former New England Patriot suffered on the field as well as his reported association with the Bristol Bloods gang and the death of his father when Hernandez was a 16-year-old.
"Childhood psychological trauma, feelings of helplessness, drug use, repeated head trauma and exposure to street gangs is the textbook trajectory that leads to spending decades in prison," Ablow wrote in the column.
Ablow, who said he has been evaluating violent men and women for almost twenty years and testifying at their trials, claimed demons from Hernandez's troubled childhood were exacerbated by the NFL, where players are applauded for violent behavior and paid large salaries to do so.
"His pumping himself up with the applause of crowds who appreciated and fanned his lack of fear on the gridiron, repeated episodes of head trauma when he was thrown to the ground by defending players (which can cause changes in personality, impulsivity and mood swings) and the addition of a huge dose of narcissism via a $40 million dollar payday, courtesy the New England Patriots...If that is the recipe for disaster that brings the seemingly inexplicable case of Aaron Hernandez before us, then it isn't all that unusual...," Ablow wrote.
Fox's resident shrink didn't solely blame the NFL for Hernandez's problems, though he did say the league didn't care about the emotional stability of its players. Ablow referenced Hernandez's lack of positive male role models, during his youth, as factors that could have adversely impacted the 23-year-old. After Hernandez's father passed away, his mother's second husband, Jeffrey Cummings, reportedly spent time in jail for slashing her with a knife and she divorced him while he was in prison, according to Ablow's report.
Hernandez is currently being held without bail for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.
