Upon examination of former Florida TE Aaron Hernandez’s brain, it was found that the ex-New England Patriot already had a significant level of CTE, which comes from repeated brain injuries.

Due to that, his lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Patriots and the NFL, seeking damages on behalf of his family, as he killed himself in prison earlier this year.

However, the league — through spokesman Joe Lockhart — has now responded to the lawsuit, saying it would be unwise to paint Hernandez, who was in prison after being convicted of homicide, as a victim in this case (via Pro Football Talk):

“His personal story is complex, it doesn’t lend itself to simple answers,” Lockhart said. “He was convicted of a homicide and his well-documented behavioral issues began long before he played in the National Football League. . . . The real victims are the friends and family of those he killed, along with his young daughter.”

Alleging that CTE caused Hernandez to kill is going to be tough for his lawyers to prove, as many other players have unfortunately suffered from the same disease without turning to murder.

However, this case will be intriguing to watch play out, and it’s safe to say the NFL will be following it very, very closely.