What was once a bright career as an NFL tight end turned into the chaotic, drug induced, murderous and short lived life for Aaron Hernandez. The star of the New England Patriots had it all — fame, family, a large following, millions in fortune, and, of course, a high-powered football career that seemed to guarantee his success.
His story went left quick
The flash of his fame quickly dimmed, and by the time he was released from prison in 2014, he had spent a lifetime hiding or minimizing the many problems that he’d been saddled with growing up. Those problems included physical abuse, repeated episodes of violence in the home, problematic drug use, erratic behavior, and an extensive history of self-discomfort regarding his sexual identity.
In June 2013, he faced murder charges for Odin Lloyd’s death, a 27-year-old semi-pro athlete associated with Hernandez during his Patriots stint. Whether it was a drunken argument over drugs or a mob-backed beef over money, no one could say for sure.
But when the investigation into his friend’s death was triggered by surveillance video that showed him and Lloyd arguing in an industrial park, it was another warning sign for those closest to him that something was not right. Regardless of the cause, the confrontation sparked a chain of events that would lead to his arrest and eventual conviction.
His NFL future was so bright
For the first time, those who knew him began to realize that he wasn’t the same boy they remembered. They grew to understand how he’d come to embrace violence, drugs and other dangerous activities that had shaped his entire life.
It was a pattern that began as soon as he was born and would continue to haunt him throughout his adulthood, until his death in 2017 from a gunshot wound in prison. It was a pattern of sexism, violence and drug abuse that was exacerbated by the trauma of his childhood.
His father, Dennis Hernandez, was a violent gangster who was jailed for murder multiple times. Terri, Aaron’s mother, was a hard working, dedicated, and loving woman who had to fight to keep her family together.
Trouble off the field
Despite the challenges they faced, Terri and Dennis tried to be there for their son as best they could. Their marriage was rocky, but they stayed together through a series of breakups and divorces.
They never strayed too far from Terri’s side of the family, which meant that Aaron had lots of contact with his grandparents. But his dad’s criminal past and drug habits made a real impression on the young man who, as a kid, had been forced to play in his backyard with a stick to protect himself from gang members.
When his father died in 2003, Aaron’s family moved to Connecticut, where he started hanging around with unsavory characters like Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace. The presence of these men, who were known for their criminal activities, pushed him into the world of drugs and illegal weapons.
