Aaron Hernandez was beaten and sexually abused as a child, reports the "Spotlight" team

These are the new details of the series of in-depth investigations, which also reports that Hernandez had sexual identity issues until his suicide in April 2017, at the age of 27.

Two articles in the Spotlight series have already been published and four more are expected in the coming days. The first looked at Hernandez's troubled childhood, while the latter set his sights on his time at the University of Florida. Upcoming games will focus on his time with the New England Patriots, his role in three murder cases, his stay in prison and his brain damage from repeated blows to his head.

The first two parts highlight several details that may have played a role in the formation of his childhood.

His father beat him

In interviews with people who knew the Hernandez family in their home town of Bristol, Connecticut, Hernandez's father, Dennis Hernandez, was long regarded as the respected anchor of the family. He was a high school sports star in the city and closely nurtured Aaron and his older brother, Jonathan, for him to follow in his footsteps.

Jonathan Hernandez said that he had threatened to call the police about the assault, but that he had not followed.

"I picked up the phone once to call and ask for help," he told The Globe. And his answer was: "call them." And he handed me the phone and he said: "I'm going to beat you even harder, you and your brother, and they'll have to get me out of you when they knock down the door. "

Rachel Elinsky of HarperCollins, the company that publishes her memoirs, said that Jonathan Hernandez did not conduct any interviews until the book's publication date of October 30th. CNN has not been able to reach Terri Hernandez, Aaron's mother.

Jeff Morgan, a former assistant football coach at Bristol Central's Hernandez High School, told the Globe that he wondered if his father was going too far after Hernandez had had problems drinking before a school dance.

"Then, the next time we saw him, it seemed that his father had disciplined him," he told the Globe. "He had a black eye, I guess that's where it comes from."

Morgan declined to comment on this story.

Hernandez was sexually assaulted

Although the details are few, Aaron Hernandez revealed to adults that he had been sexually assaulted as a child, Jonathan Hernandez told the Globe. He refused to say more or to identify the person responsible.

George Leontire, one of Hernandez's lawyers, also said that Hernandez had spoken to him about sexual abuse as a child, reports the Globe.

In a short interview with CNN, Leontire said he was not questioning anything in the Globe reports.

"There is nothing that surprised me," he says. "There is nothing I disagree with."

Hernandez struggled with his sexuality

Dennis SanSoucie, a quarterback of Hernandez High School, told The Globe that he had had intermittent sex that had started in college and continued until high school. It was the first time SanSoucie had talked about their relationship to a media outlet.

"He and he were really tempted to hide what we were doing, we did not want people to know," SanSoucie said.

SanSoucie said he was out after Hernandez's suicide and was confident that his former teammate would be proud of him for paying tribute to their past.

"I really feel in my heart that I had a thumbs up from him," he told The Globe.

Hernandez's brother, Jonathan Hernandez, said his father did not accept any behavior he considered non-masculine, including when Aaron was young.

"I remember that (Aaron) wanted to be a cheerleader, my cousins ​​were cheerleaders and they are great," Jonathan told The Globe. "And I remember going back home and as my father put an end to this very quickly, and it was not OK.My father explained that … he had his definition of # 39, a man. "