A new documentary asserts that late former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was jailed for murder, tormented himself for years about his sexuality.

Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, took his own life in April 2017 after years of controversy.

The player was incarcerated at the time of his suicide, serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player.

He was acquitted of a separate double homicide charge just days before he was found hanged in his cell.

A new documentary that is set to air on Oxygen claims that the former player, who had a child with his fiancée Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, was tormented by his sexuality and had secret relationships with men.

According to TMZ, the documentary Aaron Hernandez Uncovered includes an interview with the player’s college girlfriend, Alyssa Anderson, who says she discovered Hernandez was having a relationship with a man when they were at university together.

Anderson says he denied it at the time but later acknowledged it was true.

According to the outlet, the player’s out former lawyer George Leontire says: “This man clearly was gay.

“[He] acknowledged it. Acknowledged the immense pain that it caused him.

“I think that he also came out of a culture that was so negative about gay people that he exhibited some self-hatred.”

Investigators previously looked into whether Hernandez killed Lloyd in order to hide his bisexuality from his girlfriend.

Ernest Wallace, a co-defendant in the Lloyd murder case, told detectives the victim had called Hernandez a “schmoocher”, which Hernandez had interpreted as an anti-gay slur.

Wallace is serving at least four years in jail for helping Hernandez dispose of the murder weapon used to kill Lloyd.

According to one report, Hernandez left three notes before he killed himself.

One was written to his fiancée, one to his daughter and another allegedly to a male lover he met in jail.

Hernandez’ family lawyer aggressively denied the report that a suicide note was left to a gay lover in prison.

Jose Baez, attorney for the former footballer’s family said: “Rumours of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false.

“These are malicious leaks used to tarnish someone who is dead… [that continue] notwithstanding my unambiguous statement that there were no such letters.

“Accordingly, on behalf of the family of Aaron Hernandez, I am reaffirming, unequivocally, no such letter to Mr. Kennedy, or any other individual, in or out of prison, exists. I urge anyone continuing to spread these malicious untruths to cease immediately.”