BOSTON — Aaron Hernandez’s death was ruled a suicide on Thursday by Massachusetts officials, who also said that his brain would be released to an academic center that has researched the links between brain disease and football.
The ruling appeared to end a surreal standoff that arose a day after the death of Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder. Jose Baez, a lawyer who had represented Hernandez, called a news conference on Thursday in front of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and accused the state of “illegally” withholding Hernandez’s brain.