Aaron Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, and he was a former NFL tight end for the New England Patriots from 2010-2012. Before being drafted by the Patriots, Hernandez played for the University of Florida football team for three years. He skipped his senior year to play professionally, instead of ending his last year playing for the Gators.
Growing up, Hernandez didn’t have the best home or family situation. He had an abusive father, who experienced alcoholism, resulting in a physical altercation between them. Hernandez, and his brother Dennis Jonathan Jr., had a constant fear of their father growing up. On January 6th, 2006, his father died from complications from hernia surgery.
From the abuse Hernandez went through with his father, he was diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This is a disease associated with depression and trauma.
Hernandez was always involved with drama, especially off the football field. Soon after the death of his father, he had many issues. His mother, Terri, began a relationship with a family member’s husband, causing frustration for him.
He felt that his mother moved on too quickly, while he was still grieving the death of his father. Hernandez felt like he had nobody by his side, especially growing up as a man without a father, and going to college with no support.
Hernandez was involved in a scuffle at a bar while playing for the Florida Gators and punched a waiter over a tab payment. At the time, he wasn’t even of legal drinking age, as he was only seventeen years old. According to USA Today, there seemed to be a miscommunication between him and a waitress, but according to the report, Hernandez did not deny throwing the punch. A few months later, Hernandez was questioned by the Gainesville Police Department, when he and three other teammates were believed to be involved in a shooting.
On April 24, 2010, Hernandez was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. At the time, the Patriots were coached by Bill Belichick, and their quarterback was Tom Brady. After being selected to play for the Patriots, Hernandez’s best year swiftly became his worst year.
From the get-go, Hernandez’s life consisted of non-stop partying and drinking. The Patriots organization was cautious about drafting him, because he failed his drug test, and admitted that he had failed a similar test while playing for the Gators. Hernandez had an addiction to marijuana and toradol, during his college and NFL careers.
For a while, league doctors prescribed toradol to players, because it was a painkiller. Soon enough, over 1,000 NFL players were on board regarding this situation, because the NFL failed to warn the players about the consequences of taking this drug.
During the height of his career with the New England Patriots, Hernandez played very well alongside Tom Brady. He soon made an impression by becoming the youngest player since 1960 to have more than 100 receiving yards in a single game. He also became the youngest player ever to be a part of the NFL.
During the 2010 season, Hernandez set the all-time record for catches as a rookie tight end, with forty-five, and he helped the Patriots to end the season with an impressive record of 14-2 in the AFC.
Hernandez and his teammates played in Super Bowl XLVI, against the New York Giants, but they sadly lost against them, by a final score of 21-14. Regardless, the Patriots awarded Hernandez with a five-year contract extension of $40 million in August as a result of his fantastic season.
On June 17, 2012, Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player, was found dead a mile away from Hernandez’s mansion in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. Hernandez knew Lloyd through Shanea Jenkins, the sister of his fiance, Shayanna.
Nine days later, Hernandez was taken from his home in handcuffs and sent to jail, after being charged with first-degree murder and five firearms violations. Police searched his house to find any evidence linking Hernandez to Lloyd’s murder case. One of the pieces of evidence was his silver Toyota SUV, which had been connected to a previous double murder case that occurred in 2012.
Two victims, Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu, were found shot and killed at a nightclub. There seemed to be no motive in the killing, but ultimately the prosecutors said, “Hernandez opened fire on their car because he felt disrespected” by one of the men who bumped into him and spilled his drink. His friend, Alexander Bradley, was there and saw everything that happened that night.
Hernandez’s action truly devastated the Patriots organization, which immediately released him two hours after his arrest. Finally, in 2015 the trial began and Hernandez was found guilty of killing Odin Lloyd. According to Massachusetts law, the jury gave him life in prison with no chance of parole for his crime. Two years passed, and then tragically, on April 19th, 2017, Hernandez took his own life.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing abuse, neglect, or addiction, ask your loved ones for support. You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “home” to 741741, which is the Crisis Text Line. Remember, if you see something, say something.
And if you’re interested in learning more about Aaron Hernandez, I recommend watching the series, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, and FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.
