Aaron Hernandez: Difference between revisions

{{short description|American football player and convicted murderer (1989–2017)}}

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* First-team All-[[SoutheasternList Conferenceof All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[2009 All-SEC football team|2009]])

'''Aaron Josef Hernandez'''{{efn|Hernandez's proper full name was Aaron Josef Hernandez,<ref name="subpoena" /><ref name="Courant" /> but this has been misreported as Aaron Michael Hernandez.<ref name="Fast" />}} (November 6, 1989 {{ndash}} April 19, 2017) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[tight end]]. He played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). forHe played three seasons with the [[New England Patriots]] until his arrest and conviction for the [[murder of Odin Lloyd]].

Hernandez played [[college football]] for the [[Florida Gators football|Florida Gators]], earning first-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors and winning the [[20082009 BCS National Championship Game]].<ref name="Bort" /> Due to concerns towards his size and off the field incidents, he was not selected until the fourth round of the [[2010 NFL Draftdraft]] by the Patriots. Alongside teammate [[Rob Gronkowski]], Hernandez formed one of the league's most dominant tight end duos, becoming the first pair to score at least five [[touchdown]]s each in consecutive seasons for the same team. He also made an appearance in [[Super Bowl XLVI]].

Hernandez was born in [[Bristol, Connecticut]], on November 6, 1989, and raised on Greystone Avenue.<ref name="smile" /> His parents are Dennis Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Terri Valentine-Hernandez, of Italian descent.<ref name="smile" /> As an adult, Hernandez remembered his mother throwing his father out of the house on multiple occasions, but always letting him back in.<ref name="smile" /> The couple married in 1986, divorced in 1991, and remarried in 1996.<ref name="smile" /> In 19911999, they filed for [[bankruptcy]].<ref name="smile" /> Hernandez later stated there was constant fighting going on in the home.<ref name="smile" /> Both parents would be arrested and involved in crime during their lives.<ref name="smile" />

As a junior in [[2009 Florida Gators football team|2009]], and after leading the team in receptions with 68 for 850 yards and five touchdowns, Hernandez won the [[John Mackey Award]] as the nation's best tight end.<ref name="swamp" /> He was also a first-team All-[[List of All-SEC football teams|All-Southeastern Conference]] selection and was recognized as a first-team [[2009 College Football All-America Team|All-American]] by the [[Associated Press]], ''[[College Football News]],'' and ''[[The Sporting News]].''<ref name="ufmediaguide" /> During his final game, he threw the ball into the stands to celebrate a touchdown.<ref name="swamp" /> The [[Touchdown celebration#NCAA football|excessive display]] risked a personal foul penalty, but sportswriters saw an athlete with little to lose personally if he chose to go into the NFL instead of returning for another year of collegiate football.

Hernandez later said that he was high on drugs every time he took the field.<ref name="swamp" /> Meyer had wanted to remove Hernandez from the team for his chronic marijuana use, but relented after an appeal from Tebow.<ref name="swamp" /> However, after Hernandez's junior year, Meyer told him that he would not be welcome back for a fourth year, and that he would have to try to get picked up by a professional team in the [[2010 NFL Draftdraft]].<ref name="swamp" /><ref name="Gators" /> Hernandez finished his college career with 111 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.<ref name="Noboa" />

Hernandez was always trying to be "the life of the party,", according to a teammate.<ref name="swamp" /> His classes his first year included [[bowling]], theater appreciation, wildlife issues, and a course entitled "plants, gardening and you.".<ref name="swamp" /> During his first semester, he largely earned Bs.<ref name="swamp" /> He made the conference honor roll during his sophomore year, but as a junior got a D in a class on poverty and did not complete his second attempt at an introductory statistics class.<ref name="swamp" />

=== StatisticsCollege statistics ===

On January 6, 2010, Hernandez announced his decision to forgo his senior year and enter the [[2010 NFL Draftdraft|draft]].<ref name="early" /> He attended the [[NFL Scouting Combine]], but was unable to perform any physical drills after tearing a muscle in his back during the offseason. On March 17, 2010, Hernandez participated at Florida's pro day and performed all of the combine drills. His time in the 40-yard dash would have ranked fourth among all tight ends at the NFL Combine. Hernandez also performed 30 repetitions of 225 pounds on the [[bench press]] and would have been the top performance of all tight ends, surpassing [[Dennis Pitta]]'s top performance of 27 repetitions.<ref name="Numbers" /><ref name="Combine" />

The [[New England Patriots]] selected Hernandez in the fourth round (113th overall) of the [[2010 NFL Draftdraft]]. The previous day, the Patriots drafted [[Arizona Wildcats football|Arizona]] [[tight end]] [[Rob Gronkowski]]. Hernandez was the sixth tight end drafted in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2010/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Despite hishim being considered a top tight end prospect, multiple teams reportedly chose not to draft him because "he was a problem.".<ref name="run" />

Hernandez was not popular with his teammates, and had few friends in the locker room.<ref name="run" /> According to one of his teammates, he seemed to enjoy being an outcast on the team.<ref name=inmate/> Brady was overheard after a game telling [[Tim Tebow]], Hernandez's quarterback in college, that he was trying to steer Hernandez in the right direction but called him "a lot to handle.".<ref name="run" /> Tebow had previously tried to help Hernandez and enlisted Brady for the same purpose.<ref name="run" /> Hernandez was, however, known as one of the hardest working members of the team.<ref name="run" />

Other Patriots said that Hernandez was often seeking attention and at times seemed "unhinged.".<ref name="run" /> Belichick was running out of patience with Hernandez by June 2013, and intended to notify the front office to have Hernandez released from the team.<ref name="killer" /> After his arrest for the murder of Odin Lloyd, Belichick prohibited Hernandez's name from being spoken in the locker room.<ref name="killer" /> Gronkowski repeatedly declined to answer any questions about Hernandez in interviews and nearly walked out during a CBS interview in 2013 until the reporter agreed to change the subject away from his former teammate.<ref name="pBG7Y" />

In one of his letters sent from his time in prison, Hernandez disparaged Kraft as "fake-ass non-loyal" but expressed admiration for several of his teammates.<ref name="AeXD8" /> He was the closest with Brady, he said, and also friendly with [[Julian Edelman]] and [[Deion Branch]].<ref name="AeXD8" /> He also called Gronkowski "the BEST [[Tight end|TE]] ever to walk on a football field.".<ref name="AeXD8" />

! colspan="2"| Career<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=NFL.com {{!}} Official Site of the National Football League|url=https://www.nfl.com/players/aaron-hernandez/stats/career|access-date=2022-02-09|website=NFL.com|language=en-US}}</ref> !! 38 !! 29 !! 175 !! 1,956 !! 11.2 !! 46 !! 18 !! 9 !! 97 !! 10.8 !! 19 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1

Acquaintances described Hernandez as a follower who put himself in jeopardy by hanging out with a dangerous crowd.<ref name="run" /> As a Patriot, Hernandez hired two of his friends from [[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]], both of whom had criminal records, as assistants.<ref name="run" /> One of them, Alexander S. Bradley, was his drug dealer.<ref name="run" /> As Hernandez's assistant, Bradley's other duties included calming Hernandez down during fits of rage and paranoia, and obtaining weapons for him.<ref name="run" /> After his death, his high school teammate and lover said that being drafted by the Patriots "was the worst thing the NFL could have done" because it put him back into close proximity to the criminal friends he had in [[Connecticut]].<ref name="run" />

Detective Tom Mullins, who was assigned to reinvestigate the shooting, concluded that Hernandez was not the triggerman. Although Carson initially identified Hernandez as such, other witnesses that night described the shooter as looking like a black male, possibly with cornrows. When Mullins re-interviewed Carson, Carson rescinded his statement of the shooter matching Hernandez and said he never saw Hernandez at the scene, but assumed he was the shooter because "they had words earlier at the club.".<ref name="2KeRw" />

Hernandez was investigated in connection with a double homicide that took place on July 16, 2012, near the Cure Lounge in Boston's [[South End, Boston|South End]].<ref name="killer" /><ref name="steC1" /> Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu, 29, and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, 28, both immigrants from [[Cape Verde]] and living in [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]], were killed by gunshots fired into their vehicle.<ref name="cbsnews" /> Witnesses testified that Hernandez's silver SUV pulled up next to the victims and someone from his car yelled racial epithets towards the victims."<ref name="cbsnews" /> Someone from the car then fired five shots, killing the two immigrants.<ref name="cbsnews" /> Police immediately identified Hernandez, who was then playing for the Patriots, in the club's security camera footage, but thought it was a coincidence that Hernandez happened to be at the club that evening.<ref name="cbsnews" />

On May 15, 2014, Hernandez was [[indictment|indicted]] on murder charges for the killings of de Abreu and Furtado,<ref name="qgBYJ" /> with additional charges of armed assault and [[attempted murder]] associated with shots fired at the surviving occupants in the vehicle.<ref name="ZG5Ok" /> The trial began March 1, 2017.<ref name="Spwpg" /> The [[prosecution]] case was strongly based on testimony by Bradley, a known drug dealer who had been feuding with Hernandez since heHernandez allegedly shot him in the face and left him to die.<ref name="room" /> Hernandez and Bradley each claimed that the other person pulled the trigger.<ref name="cbsnews" />

According to ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', there was "powerful evidence that [Hernandez] was at the scene and played a role in their deaths.".<ref name="waste" /> On April 14, 2017, Hernandez was [[acquittal|acquitted]] of the murders and most of the other charges but found guilty of illegal possession of a handgun.<ref name="tfu3P" />

In January 2013, Hernandez and Bradley partied at Cure again.<ref name="cbsnews" /> At 2:20&nbsp;a.m., Bradley was pulled over on the [[Southeast Expressway (Boston)|Southeast Expressway]] after his vehicle was seen speeding at 105 miles per hour.<ref name="cbsnews" /> According to the State Police he was "wobbly drunk.".<ref name="cbsnews" /> Hernandez tried to get his friend out of trouble by saying, "Trooper, I am Aaron Hernandez. It's okay."<ref name="cbsnews" /> However, Bradley was still arrested for [[drunk driving]].<ref name="cbsnews" />

The pair would trade more than 500 text messages in the next three months, which included [[death threat]]s and attempts at [[extortion]].<ref name="killer" /> Bradley told Hernandez that he had "semiautomatic weapons, bulletproof vests, and a crew that ran six deep.".<ref name="killer" /> Hernandez's agent tried, unsuccessfully, to [[legal settlement|settle]] the matter quietly.<ref name="killer" /> Bradley demanded $5 million to keep his silence, and Hernandez countered with $1.5 million.<ref name="killer" /> Bradley then asked for $2.5 million.<ref name="killer" /> Hernandez did not respond, but instead went to see his lawyer.<ref name="killer" />

On June 18, 2013, police searched Hernandez's home in connection with an investigation into the shooting death of a friend, Odin Lloyd, whose body was found, with multiple gunshot wounds to the back and chest, in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's house.<ref name="APcharged" /><ref name="questioned" />

The following day, Hernandez assured Patriots head coach [[Bill Belichick]] and owner [[Robert Kraft]] that he had nothing to do with the shooting.<ref name="killer" /> Despite this, Hernandez was "barred" from [[Gillette Stadium]]<ref name="Herald" /> lest it become "the site of a media stakeout.".<ref name="asked" /> The team also decided, a week before his eventual arrest, to sever all ties with Hernandez if he was arrested on any charge related to the case.<ref name="patience" />

Hernandez's arrest and subsequent termination by the Patriots resulted in financial and other consequences. He automatically forfeited his 2015–18 salaries, totaling $19.3&nbsp;million, which were not guaranteed.<ref name="guarantees" /> The Patriots voided all remaining guarantees, including his 2013 and 2014 salaries, on the terms that those guarantees were for skill, injury, or [[salary cap]] room, and did not include being cut for "conduct detrimental to the best interests of professional football.".<ref name="guarantees" /> The team planned to withhold $3.25&nbsp;million of Hernandez's 2012 signing bonus that was due to be paid in 2014, and to recoup the signing bonus already paid.<ref name="guarantees" /> The NFL salary cap allows teams to [[pro-rate]] signing bonuses over the life of a contract or a five-year period, whichever is shorter. By releasing Hernandez, the Patriots accelerated all of Hernandez's remaining guaranteed money into the 2013 and 2014 salary caps: the team took a $2.55 million hit in 2013, and another $7.5 million in 2014.<ref name="guarantees" />

[[CytoSport]] and [[Puma SE|Puma]] terminated their endorsement deals with Hernandez.<ref name="waste" /> [[EA Sports]] announced that Hernandez's likeness would be dropped from its ''[[NCAA Football 14]]'' and ''[[Madden NFL 25 (2013 video game)|Madden NFL 25]]'' video games.<ref name="ea" /> After visitor complaints, a prize-winning photo of Hernandez from his rookie season, depicting him triumphantly high-stepping into the end zone in front of [[Green Bay Packers]] [[cornerback]] [[Sam Shields]], was removed from the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref name="ftw" /> [[Panini America]], a sports memorabilia and trading-card company, removed stickers of Hernandez from approximately 500,000 sticker books that had not yet been sent to collectors. The company replaced the stickers, as well as trading cards, with cards depicting [[Tim Tebow]].<ref name="stickers" />

After Hernandez's death, on April 25, 2017, his lawyers filed a [[Motion (legal)|motion]] at Massachusetts Superior Court in [[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]] to [[Vacated judgment|vacate]] his murder conviction.<ref name="vacate" /><ref name="SNDL1" /> The request was granted May 9, 2017; therefore Hernandez technically died an innocent man, due to the legal principle of [[abatement ab initio|abatement ''ab initio'']].<ref name="aaronnesn" /> Under Massachusetts law, this principle asserts that when a criminal defendant dies but has not exhausted all legal appeals, the case reverts to its status "at the beginning"—the conviction is vacated and the defendant is rendered "innocent.".<ref name="aaronnesn" /> At the time of his death, Hernandez was in the process of filing an appeal for his 2015 conviction in the [[murder of Odin Lloyd]].<ref name="aaronnesn" />

The appeal was heard by the [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]] in November 2018, a year after Hernandez's death, by six justices. The attorney representing the Lloyd family, Thomas M. Quinn, III, argued that Hernandez was rightfully convicted of Lloyd's murder and that the conviction was unfairly wiped out. Quinn also argued that Hernandez killed himself knowing of the technicality that would get his conviction thrown out, and that, "He should not be able to accomplish in death, what he never would have been able to do in life."

On March 13, 2019, the Supreme Judicial Court reinstated Hernandez's conviction, but stated that the trial record would note that his conviction was "neither affirmed nor reversed"; the appeal was rendered [[Mootness|moot]] because Hernandez died while the case was on appeal.<ref name="KqEcE" /> The Court, in their ruling, also officially ended the practice of abatement ''{{lang|la|ab initio''}}, ruling that it was outdated, never made sense, and that it was "no longer consonant with the circumstances of contemporary life, if, in fact, it ever was." After the ruling, Hernandez' estate vowed to appeal the ruling further.

The ''Globe'' said that prison officials "seemed to turn a blind eye to Hernandez's drug use [and] neglected to safeguard their famous inmate.".<ref name="room" /> A fellow inmate reports multiple instances of Hernandez needing medical attention after smoking too much [[Synthetic cannabinoids|K2]], which was rife at the prison at the time.<ref name=inmate/>

After his conviction for the murder of Lloyd, Hernandez was transferred to cell 57 of the G-2 block at [[Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center]], a [[Maximum security prison|maximum security]] prison where inmates typically spend twenty hours a day in their cells.<ref name="room" /><ref name=inmate/> In the two years he spent in the prison, Hernandez was disciplined dozens of times.<ref name="room" /> His lawyer claimed that he was taunted relentlessly by guards.<ref name="room"/> According to Keiko Thomas, who was serving 17–19 years with Hernandez on a manslaughter charge, the former NFL star "was seen as a fraud by many and a god by some.".<ref name=inmate/> While in prison, Hernandez continued to work out and anticipated returning to the NFL.<ref name="calls" />

[[Shampoo]] was found covering the floor, [[cardboard]] was wedged under the cell door to make it difficult for someone to enter, and there were drawings in blood{{efn|The blood came from a cut on his right middle finger.<ref name=inmate/>}} on the walls showing an unfinished pyramid and the [[Eye of Providence|all-seeing eye of God]], with the word "[[Illuminati]]" written in capital letters underneath.<ref name="eye" /><ref name=inmate/> The drawings were references to the [[Nation of Gods and Earths]], a [[Black supremacy|Black supremacist movement]].<ref name=inmate/> Hernandez learned about the Nation of Gods and Earths, a movement influenced by Islam, through [[hip hop culture]] while in prison.<ref name=inmate/> He also expressed an interest in [[Christianity]], telling fellow prisoners that "we all have Jesus Christ inside of us.".<ref name=inmate/>

Prison officials had not observed any signs that Hernandez was at risk for suicide, so he had not been put on around-the-clock watch.<ref name="bbckills" /> Upon completion of the [[autopsy]] by the medical examiner, the death was officially ruled a [[suicide by hanging]]. At the request of his family, Hernandez's brain was released to [[Boston University]] to be studied for signs of [[chronic traumatic encephalopathy]] (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have had a severe blow or repeated blows to the head, including football players.<ref name="waste" /><ref name="CTE" /> Baez quickly disputed any claim of suicide and stated that he would initiate his own investigation of the death.<ref name="shocked" /> However, in 2018, Baez wrote that he was initially suspicious of the suicide finding, given Hernandez's optimistic demeanor after the acquittal in the double homicide. ButHowever, he later came to believe Hernandez had taken his own life, with CTE being a major contributing factor.<ref name="Baez2018" /> After his brain was removed, Hernandez's body was cremated and the ashes were given to his family.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kalb.com/content/news/Ex-NFL-star-Hernandezs-remains-will-be-cremated-420285593.html|title=Ex-NFL star Hernandez's remains will be cremated|date=April 24, 2017 }}</ref>

In 2007, Hernandez began dating Shayanna Jenkins, a girl he had known since elementary school. Their daughter Avielle was born in 2012,<ref name="cbsboston" /> the same month that the couple became engaged, andalso the month that Hernandez purchased a $1.3&nbsp;million, {{convert|8130|sqfoot|sqm|adj=on}}, four-story home with an in-ground pool in [[North Attleborough, Massachusetts|North Attleborough]], [[Massachusetts]], where the family lived together.<ref name="run" /><ref name="McLaughlin" /> Jenkins moved in with Hernandez in 2011, during his second season with the Patriots.<ref name="run" />

After listening to more than 300 recorded phone calls, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' reported that Hernandez was "prone to going on [[homophobia|homophobic]] rants" and that, in one phone call, he admitted he was attracted to men and said it made him "angry all the time.".<ref name="room" /> Patriots receiver [[Brandon Lloyd]] said that he had been warned by teammate [[Wes Welker]] that Hernandez would expose his genitalia and talk about gay sex.<ref name="run" />

D.J. described Hernandez as growing increasingly [[paranoid]] as an adult, believing that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and others were out to get him.<ref name="levenson" /> D.J. said that Hernandez slept with a large knife by his bed and collected a large number of weapons for his protection.<ref name="levenson" /> After the [[#2013 Miami shooting of Alexander Bradley|2013 shooting of Alexander Bradley]], Hernandez hired a friend from [[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]] to serve as his bodyguard 24 hours a day.<ref name="killer" /> He also installed a sophisticated surveillance system in his home.<ref name="ki3" /> Shortly thereafter, Hernandez approached Coach [[Bill Belichick]] "in a state of deepening paranoia,", saying he feared for his family's safety.<ref name="run" /> Hernandez's agent testified that Hernandez requested the meeting because he was in fear for his life.<ref name="killer" /> Hernandez requested a trade to a team on the other side of the country, but the request was denied.<ref name="killer" />

After release of the Boston University statement, Hernandez's fiancée and daughter sued the Patriots and the NFL for causing Hernandez's death and depriving his daughter of her father's companionship, arguing that Hernandez's NFL career had caused what researchers described as "the most severe case of [CTE] medically seen" in a person at his age.<ref name="waste" /><ref name="br" /> The suit was dismissed in February 2019 because the deadline to opt out of a class action suit against the league had been missed.<ref name="dale" /> Hernandez was one of at least 345 [[List of NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy|NFL players to be diagnosed after death]] with CTE.<ref>{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) | website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts | access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= [[The New York Times]] |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}</ref>

A [[Netflix]] documentary entitled ''[[Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez]]'' was released for streaming on January 15, 2020.<ref name="netflix" />

in 2023,The FX upcoming series ''[[American Sports Story]]'' is centered on Hernandez's rise onin the NFL before his downfall, which with [[Josh Andrés Rivera]] asplaying Hernandez.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/american-sports-story-fx-cast-josh-andres-rivera-aaron-hernandez-1235779672/|title=American Sports Story’Story' at FX Casts Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow|date=November 3, 2023 |publisher=Variety}}</ref>

<ref name="asked">{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000213806/printable/why-aaron-hernandez-was-asked-to-leave-patriots-facility-0ap1000000213806 |title=Why Aaron Hernandez was asked to leave Patriots facility |work=NFL.com |date=June 21, 2013|access-date=June 24, 2013 | first = Ian | last = Rapoport}}</ref>

<ref name="career">{{cite web |title=NFL Player stats: Aaron Hernandez (2011) |url=http://www.nfl.com/player/aaronhernandez/497244/gamelogs?season=2011 |access-date=November 10, 2018 |website=nfl[[NFL.com]]}}</ref>

<ref name="shayanna">{{cite webnews |title= Shayanna Jenkins Testifies About Aaron Hernandez's Infidelity | newspaper=Necn |url=https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/WATCH-LIVE-at-9-Hernandez-Fiancee-Set-to-Resume-Testimony--297974951.html?amp=y|publisher = [[New England Cable News]] | date = March 30, 2015 | access-date = April 21, 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Kraft Breaks Silence">{{cite news |last=Reiss |first=Mike |title=Kraft breaks silence on Hernandez |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/9459474/robert-kraft-breaks-silence-aaron-hernandez-saying-feels-duped-tight-end-guilty |publisher=ESPN Boston |access-date=August 7, 2013 | date = July 8, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="stickers">{{cite news |url=httphttps://mwww.espn.go.com/generaltop/story?storyId=/_/id/9488000&city=boston |title=Aaron Hernandez stickers removed |last=Rovell |first=Darren |date=July 18, 2013 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="found">{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19191248/former-new-england-patriots-te-aaron-hernandez-found-dead-hanging-prison-cell|title=Aaron Hernandez found dead after hanging in prison cell|work=ESPN|date=April 19, 2017|access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=httphttps://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000800889/article/aaron-hernandez-found-dead-in-massachusetts-prison-cell-0ap3000000800889|title=Former TE Aaron Hernandez dies in prison cell|publisher=NFL|access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="entry">{{cite web |title=Aaron Hernandez's NFL entry: What did scouts know back then? |url=httphttps://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000326445/article/aaron-hernandezshernandez-s-nfl-entry-what-did-scouts-know-back-then-0ap2000000326445 |access-date=November 9, 2018 |date=February 19, 2014 | first = Albert | last = Breer|website=[[NFL.com]] }}</ref>

<ref name="naqi">{{cite news |access-date=April 21, 2020 |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9446754/mass-police-investigate-aaron-hernandez-possible-role-2007-gainesville-shooting-according-sources |title=Hernandez role in '07 shooting probed |date=July 3, 2013 |first=Kelly |last=Naqi |publisher=ESPN}}</ref>

<ref name="cbsnews">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57591469news/boston-police-search-aaron-hernandez-home/ |title=Boston police search Aaron Hernandez home|url-status=deadlive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830002102/https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57591469/boston-police-search-aaron-hernandez-home/|website=CBS News |date=June 28, 2013|archive-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="Courant">{{cite news|url=httphttps://articleswww.courant.com/2007-/06-/20/news/0706200600_1_alexandrabristol-lynncentral-butlerhigh-josephschool-mclass-bellof-samantha-anne-brewer2007/ |title=Bristol Central High School Class of 2007 |newspaper=Hartford Courant |date=June 20, 2007 |access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="Tebow">{{cite news |url=httphttps://sportswww.espn.gocom/college-football/recap?gameId=290080201 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518125408/http://www.espn.com/ncfcollege-football/recap?gameId=290080201 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 18, 2017 |title=Florida rides Tebow, suffocating defense to another BCS title |agency=Associated Press |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=January 8, 2009 |access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="Gators">{{cite news |url=httphttps://sportswww.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/news/story?id=4802606 |title=Florida Gators All-American TE Aaron Hernandez entering draft |agency=Associated Press |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=January 6, 2010 |access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="early">{{cite web |title=TE Hernandez leaving Florida early | agency = Associated Press |url=httphttps://www.espn.com/nfl/draft10/news/story?id=4802606 |access-date=November 9, 2018 |website=ESPN.com |date=January 6, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="Wesseling">{{cite web |title=Bengals, Colts skipped Aaron Hernandez in 2010 draft |url=httphttps://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000215983/article/bengals-colts-skipped-aaron-hernandez-in-2010-draft-0ap1000000215983 |access-date=November 9, 2018 |website=NFL.com |author=Wesseling, Chris |date=July 13, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="uLrpr">{{cite web |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4679319/patriots-sign-draft-pick-hernandez |title=Patriots sign draft pick Hernandez |work=ESPNBoston.com |first=Mike |last=Reiss |date=June 8, 2010 |access-date=June 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613173511/http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4679319/patriots-sign-draft-pick-hernandez |archive-date=June 13, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<ref name="J4Nnu">{{cite news |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/6818641/aaron-hernandez-gifts-no-85-chad-ochocinco-free |title=Aaron Hernandez relinquishes No. 85 |last=Rodak |first=Mike |date=July 30, 2011 |publisher=[[ESPN.com#Local sites|ESPN Boston]] |access-date=June 30, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="8iFpe">{{cite web |title=Pats' pair of dynamic tight ends gives Brady even more options |url=httphttps://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d822357d5/article/pats-pair-of-dynamic-tight-ends-gives-brady-even-more-options-09000d5d822357d5 |access-date=November 10, 2018 |website=NFL.com |date=September 13, 2011| first = Bucky | last = Brooks }}</ref>

<ref name="lZaEn">{{cite news |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7477833/new-england-patriots-rob-gronkowski-aaron-hernandez-making-tight-end-history |title=New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez making tight end history |publisher=ESPN Boston |date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="ZpmaX">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57558383news/patriots-stomp-texans-42-14-on-monday-night-football/ |title=Patriots stomp Texans 42–14 on Monday Night Football |work=CBS News |date=December 10, 2012 |access-date=June 24, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="N9vNF">{{cite news |url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12866845/witness-intimidation-added-charges-aaron-hernandez/ |title=Aaron Hernandez charged with witness intimidation in connection to 2012 Boston killings |agency=Associated Press |date=May 11, 2015|access-date = April 22, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="SNDL1">{{cite news|title=Lawyers file to clear Hernandez conviction|url=httphttps://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19240620/lawyers-file-clear-aaron-hernandez-murder-conviction|access-date=April 27, 2017|work=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press|date=April 25, 2017|location=Boston}}</ref>

<ref name="KqEcE">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/03/13/aaron-hernandez-murder-conviction-reinstated|title=Aaron Hernandez's Murder Conviction Reinstated By Mass. High Court|website=www.wbur.org|language=en|access-date=March 13, 2019 | first = Alanna | last = Durkin Richer|date=March 13, 2019 }}</ref>