Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez has been found dead in his prison cell, Massachusetts officials say.
An official with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said Hernandez was found hanged in his cell just after 3am local time on Wednesday.
Authorities tried to revive the former New England Patriots tight end, and he was pronounced dead at UMass Memorial – HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster at 4:07am.
Prison officials say the 27-year-old was in a single cell in a general population housing unit at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Centre in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Authorities say Hernandez tried to block the cell door from the inside by jamming the door with various items.
Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted on Friday over a 2012 double killing prosecutors said was fuelled by his anger over a drink spilled at a nightclub.
