Last Podcast On The Left

Episode 635: Aaron Hernandez Part II - Inside the Meat Grinder

Release Date: September 19, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ed Larson

Episode Overview

This episode continues the deep dive into the life and crimes of Aaron Hernandez, focusing on the massive role chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and NFL culture played in shaping his violent trajectory. The hosts—blending humor and horror—explore the dark underbelly of professional football, the NFL's history of head trauma denial, and how Hernandez’s paranoia, violence, and eventual downfall were entangled in institutional neglect, toxic masculinity, and American obsessions with sports. The episode transitions from the general horrors of brain injuries in football to the granular details of Hernandez’s escalating criminal acts, culminating in a tense narrative of murder, betrayal, and blurred lines between friendship and animosity.

Key Sections & Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage: Sports, CTE & NFL Culture

[04:33–16:11]

• The hosts introduce the core topic: how NFL head injuries (especially CTE) have shaped player behavior and are pervasive in the league.
• They joke about "context festivals," but Marcus (the research maven) insists context is everything, laying the groundwork for understanding Aaron Hernandez’s background.
• The NFL is described as a $18 billion juggernaut, “more nation than league” (06:02), with immensely talented yet disposable athletes.
• Introduction of Mike Webster, legendary center who suffered horrifying post-retirement symptoms due to undiagnosed brain trauma, becoming the “defining brain to explain CTE.”

“His teeth were falling out so much that he super glued them back in his head. His back pain was so bad that he couldn't sleep without tasing himself unconscious, which I didn’t know would work.”
— Ed, [09:24]

• The discovery of CTE: Dr. Bennett Omalu’s autopsy on Webster marks the medical turning point; his findings of tau protein in the brain reveal the horror of repeated minor concussion.

2. NFL Denial, Propaganda, and Science Wars

[16:11–32:17]

• Omalu’s findings are initially ignored, then attacked by the NFL, which forms the “Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee” led by non-experts.
• The NFL’s playbook is described: assemble bad-faith science panels to delay and obfuscate, avoid accountability, and cast doubt on legitimate research.
• Host Ed vents long-standing hatred of the New York Jets, whose doctor (Pelman) symbolizes NFL incompetence.
• Racial undertones of the NFL’s attack on Omalu’s "voodoo science" are pointed out.

“They assembled a committee, and to run it, they needed someone incompetent…Please look no further than the New York Jets.”
— Marcus, [17:11]

3. The Mounting Case for CTE and NFL Stonewalling

[22:51–41:05]

• Dr. Ann McKee steps in as the primary researcher, gathering brains with help from former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski (the “brain repo man”).
• High-profile tragic cases: Junior Seau, suicidal at 43, with advanced CTE; staggering study shows 92% of former NFL brains examined have CTE ([27:03]).
• The NFL only acts when class-action lawsuits threaten the bottom line. In 2016, they agree to a $765 million settlement, which equates to a paltry sum for each affected player and does not admit wrongdoing.

“That’s like $38,000 a player... They can’t live the rest of their brain-damaged lives off of $38,000.”
— Marcus, [33:15]

• The NFL fears that if just 10% of American mothers decide football is too dangerous, youth participation collapses—“the game is dead” ([41:30]).
• The problems start in youth football, with heartbreaking examples of CTE in teenagers.

4. Masculinity, Violence & The American Obsession

[41:03–54:47]

• Hosts discuss how the NFL’s “war” metaphor translates to real-world suffering, drawing comparisons to other corporate cover-ups like tobacco and Agent Orange ([49:13]).
• Football’s primal, violent appeal becomes a proxy for “war by other means” in American society.

“Watching men kill each other is an ancient process...for people that don’t get to go kill people, so they get to watch it.”
— Henry, [53:03]

• The hosts question their own relationships with football, peer pressure, and the tension between fandom and social responsibility.

5. Aaron Hernandez: Paranoia, Partying, Murders

[54:48–98:35]

Fast Transition: Hernandez’s Life Unraveling

• Hernandez, now rich and world-famous at 22, is deep into clubbing, drugs, and paranoia.
• Key figure introduced: Alexander Bradley, Hernandez’s close friend, drug dealer, and “assistant.” The relationship is both codependent and toxic ([57:15]).
• Hernandez smoked up to 4 ounces of weed per week and was increasingly paranoid—“One of Aaron’s pet peeves was people looking at him” ([62:32]).

Boston Double Murder

[68:06–73:01]

• July 2012: Hernandez bumps into two men at a Boston club, Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado. A minor accidental hip bump leads to fury.
• Hernandez, convinced he’s being disrespected and followed, has Bradley pull up beside their car and shoots, killing both men. The case quickly goes cold due to the randomness of the crime and his unexpected status as a suspect.

“The murder had been so random and so pointless that the case quickly went cold for the police.”
— Marcus, [72:55]

Attempted Murder of Alexander Bradley

[80:03–83:43]

• After a falling out on a Miami trip—money, paranoia, and disputes over Bradley’s phone—Hernandez shoots Bradley in the face and hand, leaving him for dead. Bradley survives and refuses to “snitch,” instead later seeking blackmail.

Dark Codependency & Violent Bromance (Text Message Theater)

[85:30–98:35]

• Hosts perform a dramatic reading of real, bizarre text exchanges between Hernandez and Bradley—oscillating between threats, declarations of love, and invocations of street code.

“I love you and always will. No homo.”
— Henry as Hernandez, [95:18]
“You stole my trust and tore my ego.”
— Marcus as Bradley, [98:05]

• Their relationship is depicted as spiraling, wounded, and at turns absurd and poignant.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On NFL denial:
  “They had to fight good research with bad research.”
  — Marcus, [16:59]
• On football’s dangers:
  “An NFL hit has been equated to getting into a 20 to 30 mile an hour car crash. This is something that may happen 60 times in a game for some players…”
  — Marcus, [37:13]
• On denial and masculinity:
  “No, that’s not what men do. That’s not what a manly institution does. It just chest up, head down, fucking rolling right through that fucking shit.”
  — Henry, [40:43]
• On youth and tragedy:
  “Wyatt Bronwell, an 18 year old high school football player, committed suicide… two years later, McKee confirmed it. CTE in an 18 year old, an advanced stage two case…”
  — Marcus, [44:34]
• On Hernandez’s mental spiral:
  “He’s not doing well mentally… he’s got a bunch of Incubus tattoos on him, some gun tattoos…he’s murdered two people and has attempted to murder his best friend because he’s mad about him leaving his phone behind.”
  — Marcus, [92:40]
• On the NFL's reckoning:
  “The only punishment that fits the crime would be to live inside one of the heads of their CTE riddle players.”
  — Marcus, [50:35]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 04:33 | NFL’s disposable players, CTE context starts | | 08:09 | Mike Webster’s tragic story | | 11:02 | Dr. Bennett Omalu’s discovery | | 16:11 | NFL forms denial committees, attacks Omalu | | 22:51 | Dr. Ann McKee and Chris Nowinski’s research | | 27:03 | 92% of examined NFL players had CTE | | 32:59 | NFL’s lawsuit settlement | | 37:13 | Science on the violence of football | | 41:30 | NFL’s terror: “If 10% of moms say no, the game is dead” | | 48:49 | Suicides and CTE among youth athletes | | 54:48 | Beginning the Aaron Hernandez crime timeline | | 62:32 | Hernandez’s paranoia and partying | | 68:06 | The Boston double murder | | 80:03 | Miami: Hernandez shoots Bradley | | 85:30 | Text message dramatic reading | | 98:35 | Cliffhanger: Hernandez’s story to continue next week |

Tone, Style & Final Notes

The episode is classic Last Podcast On The Left: dark, irreverent, and deeply researched, blending gallows humor with genuine empathy for victims of NFL neglect. While the subject matter is grim—covering murder, brain injuries, and institutional corruption—the hosts use absurd character bits and dramatic readings (notably, the messages between Hernandez and Bradley) to illuminate the extreme psychological territory occupied by fame, masculinity, violence, and American spectacle.

The episode concludes with a segment of affectionate mocking and anticipation for the finale of the Hernandez saga, as well as a plug for future podcast episodes.

Conclusion

This installment offers a comprehensive account of how the NFL’s culture of denial enabled not just widespread suffering but, in Aaron Hernandez’s case, violent criminality. It’s a stark, occasionally hilarious, but always compassionate exploration of America’s most violent game and one of its most tragic players.

For those seeking a thorough, darkly comic, and disturbingly human look at the NFL’s hidden horrors and Aaron Hernandez’s unraveling, this episode is essential listening.