Whether a football fan or not, almost everyone in America knows about the life and death of former football star Aaron Hernandez. This case has been one of the most broadcasted in the nation, not only because of his status as an athlete, but also because of his life story and the impacts that sports can have on a person. Aaron Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989 in Bristol, Connecticut to parents Dennis and Terri. Dennis was known to physically abuse his wife and two children and there has also been much speculation about whether Aaron’s father had sexually abused him as a child, but this has not been confirmed nor denied. Growing up, Aaron was a highly regarded superstar athlete in both basketball and football; however, in high school, he turned his focus on football and even went on to win All-State honors after his team made it to the Central Connecticut Conference Southern Division Championship game.
At 16 years old, during Aaron’s senior year of high school, his father unexpectedly passed away during a routine hernia surgery. After his father’s death, Aaron struggled with obedience to authority figures and spent most of his days getting into trouble. He also began experimenting with illegal drugs in an attempt to cope with the death. Aaron was expected to attend the University of Connecticut as a student athlete playing football, but changed his mind and committed to the University of Florida instead. Those closest to him believed this was directly related to the untimely death of his father. At the University of Florida, Aaron became a major asset as tight end on the football team because of his large stature and build as well as his speed and agility. He had a successful college career obtaining many honors including All-American and winning the 2009 national championship game alongside his teammates. Regardless of all the success, Aaron continued to get in to trouble while in college. As a freshman he was arrested for fighting with a bouncer at a bar, and was even questioned about potential involvement in a shooting. His reputation as a troublemaker followed him after leaving college and entering the NFL draft in 2010 where he was not drafted until the 4th round by the Patriots who attempted to see passed the obvious red flags. At the time he was drafted, Aaron was the youngest player in the NFL but proved to everyone that he was capable of being in the big league. He contributed majorly to the success of the Patriots team, but his troubles were not far behind him.
On June 17, 2013 the body of Odin Lloyd was discovered one mile away from Aaron’s home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts in an industrial park after spending time with Aaron and two others the night before. After investigating the case, law enforcement pointed to Aaron as the main suspect after he was found destroying his cell phone and surveillance footage from his home. Nine days later, Aaron Hernandez was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd. According to the prosecution in the case, the two got into an argument because of Lloyd’s involvement with people Aaron did not like. Cell phone records show that Lloyd texted his sister at 3:07 the morning he was murdered asking her if she knew who he was with, in which she responded no. He then responded “nfl”, which has been regarded as his way of identifying Aaron when he became aware that something bad may occur. Workers near the industrial park also reported hearing gunshots that same night between the hours of 3:00 and 3:30 A.M. Aaron had also rented a car that night, but returned it the next morning when Lloyd’s body was found. Bullet casings found at the crime scene matched bullet casings found in a dumpster at the dealership where Aaron returned the car, but the weapon has never been discovered.
During this time, Aaron was also suspected of the attempted murder of another Florida man who claims Aaron had shot him in the face and was responsible for him losing an eye. He was also being investigated for a possible involvement in a 2012 drive-by shooting in Boston that killed two men: Safiro Furtado and Daniel Abreu. Aaron was at the same night club as the men during the night in question and was said to have targeted them after leaving the club when he murdered them when stopped at a traffic light. Eventually, he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in this case. On April 15, 2015 he was found guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and was acquitted of the other two murders in April 2017. Only days after being acquitted Aaron Hernandez was found dead inside his jail cell after committing suicide with a bed sheet. In Massachusetts at this time a law was in place forcing the erasure of murder convictions when the defendant dies before an appeal. It is said that Aaron’s reason for doing this was because he was aware of this law and he hoped that it would allow his family to continue receiving his salary from the NFL after his death.
There is much speculation surrounding the actions of Aaron Hernandez and many of these will never be confirmed. In the recent Netflix Documentary Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez many questions are raised about Aaron’s sexuality and brain injuries caused by a common disease in athletes: chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE. Some believe that Aaron was gay, but because of the strict masculine culture in the NFL and in his life growing up, did not want to come forward and be open about his sexuality. It can be argued that this weighed heavily on Aaron and caused him to lash out. CTE is a brain disease known to cause mood swings, aggression, and even dementia. Pictures of Aaron’s brain proved that he was suffering from what doctors say was the worst case of this disease in someone his age. Regardless of the circumstances, Aaron’s actions were reprehensible and showed a complete disregard for human life. If you’re interested in learning more about the life and death of Aaron Hernandez, check out the book Unnecessary Roughness or the Netflix documentary mentioned above.
Pictured Below (Left to Right, Top to Bottom): Aaron Hernandez during trial, https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/entertainment/aaron-hernandez-review/index.html: Aaron during his time on the Patriots NFL team, https://hollywoodlife.com/2017/05/09/aaron-hernandez-conviction-thrown-out-murder-odin-lloyd/: Aaron pictured with his brother and father, https://apps.bostonglobe.com/spotlight/gladiator/bristol/: Aaron pictured with girlfriend and daughter, https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/shayanna-jenkins-now-aaron-hernandez-fiancee-what-happened-death-nfl-netflix-killer-inside-1368693: Odin Lloyd, https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/27/us/hernandez-odin-lloyd-profile/index.html: Scene where Odin Lloyd's body was discovered, https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1229390/Aaron-Hernandez-Netflix-Why-did-Aaron-Hernandez-kill-Odin-Lloyd-death-explained-Netflix: Safiro Furtado and Daniel Abreu, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aaron-hernandez-not-guilty-in-2012-double-homicide/: Aaron Hernandez's brain compared to the brain of an average 27 year old, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/nov/09/aaron-hernandez-cte-brain-damage-photos: Netflix documentary about Aaron Hernandez, https://www.netflix.com/title/81062828: Book written about the life of Aaron Hernandez, https://www.amazon.com/Unnecessary-Roughness-Inside-Trial-Hernandez/dp/1602866074.
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