Speaker 1: Welcome back to playing dirty sports scandals. I'm Jay Harris,
Speaker 1: your host and barista extraordinary, serving up the juiciest sports
Speaker 1: scandals you crave. Unfortunately, the tail on tap we started
Speaker 1: last week only becomes more distasteful with a conclusion that
Speaker 1: is so bloody, dark and tragic it's downright painful to digest.
Speaker 1: But hey, it's my job to serve up scandals and
Speaker 1: give you access to the CD side of sports. So
Speaker 1: bottom's up. So far, we've navigated the turbulent blend of
Speaker 1: Aaron hernandez'z early life, starting with his beginnings in Bristol, Connecticut,
Speaker 1: to his rise as a football sensation at the University
Speaker 1: of Florida and then ultimately as a draft pick into
Speaker 1: the NFL by the New England Patriots. I share the
Speaker 1: complexities of Airan's upbringing with you, delving into the adversity
Speaker 1: his family encountered with financial instability and criminality, domestic violence,
Speaker 1: and of course, the sudden loss of his father, Dennis Hernandez.
Speaker 1: Amidst the conflicting backdrop of his athletic triumphs and personal battles,
Speaker 1: it was Aaron's off field behavior characterized by aggression, questionable
Speaker 1: associations and substance abuse that was increasingly stealing headlines and
Speaker 1: looming large over his promising NFL future. What would happen next?
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez had entered his professional career like Mentos and
Speaker 1: Asda Caid, ready to explode. How did this happen? Why
Speaker 1: would any NFL team take on such a huge risk? Hmm?
Speaker 1: Remember how I told you about coach Urban Meyer over
Speaker 1: at the University of Florida and his practice of protecting
Speaker 1: Florida Gators' star players at any cost. Well, urban Meyer
Speaker 1: is fast friends with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Speaker 1: According to The Boston Globe, the two coaches met in
Speaker 1: the winter of two thousand and five and have spent
Speaker 1: time together outside of work routinely ever since, with Belichick
Speaker 1: telling reporters quote, I go back a long way with
Speaker 1: urban Meyer and calling him a great man and a
Speaker 1: great friend. So one could assume that Erban Meyer used
Speaker 1: his friendship currency with Bill Belichick to pull the deal
Speaker 1: over the finish line for Aaron and assuming that urban
Speaker 1: Meyer did vouch for Aaron Hernandez's readiness to turn a
Speaker 1: new leaf in the pros to Bill Belichick, it was
Speaker 1: a touchdown, Urban Meyer could say yet another one of
Speaker 1: his players had gone pro, and Aaron Hernandez had his
Speaker 1: NFL dream realized. Patriots coach Bill Belichick, meanwhile, had signed
Speaker 1: on for a whole lot more trouble than he could
Speaker 1: have ever imagined. Bringing Aaron back to New England, where
Speaker 1: his roots and troubles ran deep, instantly introduced challenges that
Speaker 1: would contribute to the abrupt end of his NFL career
Speaker 1: and ultimate his life. In fact, the potential impact of
Speaker 1: geographical distance on Aaron Hernandez's trajectory was noted by Greg Badard,
Speaker 1: a seasoned football columnist. Badard, who closely followed Aaron's career, speculated,
Speaker 1: I think this story would have turned out a lot
Speaker 1: differently if he's, say, in Seattle or San Francisco, or
Speaker 1: someplace just out of reach of Bristol, Connecticut. And maybe
Speaker 1: Greg Badard is right, because even Dennis Sansusi, Aaron hernandez
Speaker 1: close childhood friend and high school football teammate, expressed deep
Speaker 1: reservations about him moving back north when he heard about
Speaker 1: the Patriots draft him. Going to New England was the
Speaker 1: worst thing the NFL could have done. Sansusie reflected to
Speaker 1: the Boston Globe, the one place you don't send him
Speaker 1: back is where he tried getting away from. So there
Speaker 1: was Aaron Hernandez back close to his old stomping grounds
Speaker 1: at just twenty years old, having become the youngest player
Speaker 1: in the NFL form millions of people. He was now
Speaker 1: a symbol of potential redemption and proof that talent could
Speaker 1: outshine adversity. But the problem with being a symbol is
Speaker 1: that underneath the sheen of front facing glory, the same
Speaker 1: old problem still often exists, just buried deep down away
Speaker 1: from the spotlight. Such was the case for Aaron even
Speaker 1: as he embarked on his rookie season with the Patriots,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez was back in Bristol on his off time,
Speaker 1: again entangled with local criminals, smoking weed and getting into trouble.
Speaker 1: But as long as Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn't know
Speaker 1: well what harm could come of it. Right at first,
Speaker 1: it's safe to assume that Coach Belichick didn't know that
Speaker 1: anything was amiss. After all, Aaron Hernandez was a Titan
Speaker 1: on the field, partnering with Rob Gronkowski, who even to
Speaker 1: this day, is largely regarded as one of the greatest
Speaker 1: tight ends of all time. Aaron quickly became a lynch
Speaker 1: pin in the Patriots strategy, offering the team an offense
Speaker 1: versatility that was both envied and feared across the NFL.
Speaker 1: He recorded forty five receptions and six touchdowns in his
Speaker 1: rookie season, a rare feat for someone so young, to
Speaker 1: say the least. Moving into a second season, Aaron Hernandez
Speaker 1: star continued to rise. He caught seventy nine passes for
Speaker 1: nine hundred ten yards and seven touchdowns, demonstrating an athleticism
Speaker 1: that made him one of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets. However,
Speaker 1: as the Patriots marched toward the Super Bowl in Aaron's
Speaker 1: standout twenty eleven season, the rising star gave his team
Speaker 1: and fans a scare. In a pivotal Divisional round playoff
Speaker 1: game against the Broncos, a determined Aaron Hernandez, in an
Speaker 1: effort to score the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career,
Speaker 1: collided with Denver linebacker Joe Mays after advancing only two
Speaker 1: yards of the needed four. The impact left erin with
Speaker 1: a concussion, his second documented brain injury. Despite appearing groggy
Speaker 1: as he walked off the field and receiving medical attention
Speaker 1: on the sidelines. The Patriots classified his concussion as minor.
Speaker 1: As a result, Aaron was in practice the following week,
Speaker 1: though he was listed as limited. Aaron's head injury and
Speaker 1: get on with it approach to recovery happened amid growing
Speaker 1: concerns about players safety in the NFL, as the league
Speaker 1: was grappling with the implications of chronic traumatic encephalopathy or
Speaker 1: CTE following the suicides of former players diagnosed with the condition.
Speaker 1: But the concerns were just rumblings at this point. Remember,
Speaker 1: the NFL didn't formally acknowledge CTE as an organization until
Speaker 1: twenty sixteen. That's five years after this incident with Aaron,
Speaker 1: so without paying too much mind to their young tight
Speaker 1: ends injury, the Patriots continued to train and play hard,
Speaker 1: with Aaron helping lead the team to Super Bowl forty six,
Speaker 1: and though they didn't clinch the championship, Aaron hernandez performance
Speaker 1: on the sport's biggest stage was undeniable. His pivotal contributions
Speaker 1: were recognized in twenty twelve when the Patriots rewarded him
Speaker 1: with a five year contract extension. Worth forty one million
Speaker 1: dollars with a guaranteed twelve and a half million signing bonus.
Speaker 1: At the time, this was the largest bonus ever for
Speaker 1: a tight end. It signaled the Patriots' faith in his
Speaker 1: potential and solidified his status as a key player for
Speaker 1: the franchise's future. It seemed that Aaron was having a
Speaker 1: pinch me moment and that he was well on his
Speaker 1: way to personal fulfillment and professional greatness. He told reporters, quote,
Speaker 1: this place changed me as a person because you can't
Speaker 1: come here and act reckless. I was one of those persons.
Speaker 1: I came here and might have acted the way I
Speaker 1: wanted to act. But you get changed by Bill Belichick's way,
Speaker 1: you get changed by the Patriot way. And now that
Speaker 1: I'm a Patriot, I have to start living like one,
Speaker 1: making the right decisions for them and to the outside world,
Speaker 1: it looked like Aaron was doing just that, living within
Speaker 1: the lines and enjoying the American dream. He bought a
Speaker 1: one point three million dollar mansion in North Attleborough's prestigious
Speaker 1: Westwood Estates and moved into it with his longtime girlfriend,
Speaker 1: Seyanna Jenkins, whom he'd known since elementary school. They welcomed
Speaker 1: a daughter, Avl Hernandez, together, adding another layer to an
Speaker 1: already idyllic picture. Aaron was seemingly cementing his status as
Speaker 1: a fulfilled man living a charmed life. Fatherhood is definitely
Speaker 1: a great experience. She's a beautiful little girl. I am excited,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez told the press, his voice filled with emotion.
Speaker 1: I'm happy, see me smiling. But this seemingly classic successful
Speaker 1: pro athlete's existence concealed a more complex reality. Beyond the
Speaker 1: mansion's walls. Hernandez life was still fraught with contradictions. For
Speaker 1: one thing. Despite becoming engaged to the mother of his child,
Speaker 1: Shanna Jenkins, there was growing speculation that Aaron Hernandez was gay.
Speaker 1: And not only was he gay, according to his high
Speaker 1: school friend and quarterback teammate Dennis Sansusi and his older
Speaker 1: brother Dj Hernandez, but Aaron had terribly conflicted emotions about
Speaker 1: his sexuality, stemming from early childhood sexual abuse and his
Speaker 1: father's enforced machismo. According to CNN, Aaron allegedly shared that
Speaker 1: at just six years old, he was forced to perform
Speaker 1: oral sex by an older boy during a game of
Speaker 1: hide and seek. He never got over this. According to
Speaker 1: his older brother DJ, and When DJ allegedly walked in
Speaker 1: on Aaron in bed with two male friends at a
Speaker 1: bachelor party many years later, he claims that he asked
Speaker 1: Aaron if he was gay, saying, if you are, I
Speaker 1: don't care. I love you. You're my brother. But according
Speaker 1: to DJ, Aaron reacted with sheer fury, screaming, don't you
Speaker 1: ever ask me that again. If you say that again,
Speaker 1: I'll fucking kill you. Dennis and Susie's revelations about their
Speaker 1: time together in high school mirror DJ's story. According to Sansusi,
Speaker 1: he and Aaron Hernandez had an intermittent sexual relationship that
Speaker 1: spanned from middle school through high school. Me and Aaron
Speaker 1: always had a great relationship and bond, but in middle
Speaker 1: school it progressed to just more than friends. We were
Speaker 1: very much into trying to hide what we were doing.
Speaker 1: We didn't want people to know. I was in such
Speaker 1: denial because I was an athlete. Sansusi said, you mean
Speaker 1: to tell me that the quarterback and the tight end
Speaker 1: were gay. He sleeps with other men. No, it doesn't
Speaker 1: sit right with people. It didn't sit right within our
Speaker 1: own stomachs at the time. Sansusi further described his alleged
Speaker 1: relationship with Aaron Hernandez as weird says, both of their
Speaker 1: dads were openly homophobic. After making out, it was like,
Speaker 1: did someone catch us? Did someone know? Dude? If we
Speaker 1: get caught, it's ruined. Our parents are going to disown us.
Speaker 1: We had to hide what we were. Dennis and Susi
Speaker 1: wouldn't come out as gay for many years, and for Aaron,
Speaker 1: this additional layer of duplicity within his own life added
Speaker 1: substantial pressure. He grappled with his personal and professional stresses
Speaker 1: by hitting the nightclubs, where naturally, his associations with questionable
Speaker 1: characters continued unabated. The difference now was that Aaron Hernandez
Speaker 1: had an awful lot of money. It was a recipe
Speaker 1: for disaster, and on the night of July fifteenth, twenty twelve,
Speaker 1: the situation came to a head when Aaron, accompanied by
Speaker 1: his hometown friend and assistant Alexander Bradley, ventured into the
Speaker 1: Cure Lounge in Boston's Theater District. At that same club,
Speaker 1: two immigrants from Cape Verdon, twenty nine year old daniel
Speaker 1: lebru and twenty eight year old Saphiro Fortado were enjoying
Speaker 1: drinks they accidentally knocked into Aaron Hernandez, spilling on the
Speaker 1: volatile NFL Star. Now, most people would wipe off the
Speaker 1: drink and move on with their night, given that the
Speaker 1: dowsing was unintentional, Maybe if someone had already had too
Speaker 1: many drinks and was feeling particularly vile, they might exchange
Speaker 1: angry words and even throw a couple of punches. But
Speaker 1: allegedly Aaron Hernandez waited until le Bru and for Tato
Speaker 1: left the club and followed them hours later. Around two
Speaker 1: thirty am on July sixteenth, twenty twelve, the unwitting friends
Speaker 1: piled into their BMW along with three other men, as
Speaker 1: Aaron continued to trail them in a silver SUV. When
Speaker 1: daniel Lebru and Saphiro Fortado stopped at a red light,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez allegedly pulled up on their car's right side
Speaker 1: and then quote fired a thirty eight caliber revolver multiple
Speaker 1: times from the driver's side of his vehicle into the
Speaker 1: passenger's side of the victim's vehicle. Daniel Lebru and Spiro
Speaker 1: Fortado were each hit several times. A bro died from
Speaker 1: a gunshot wound to the chest, and Fortado died from
Speaker 1: a wound to the head. A third person was wounded
Speaker 1: in the arm, and two others in the car ran
Speaker 1: away without sustaining injuries. This is a shocking account and
Speaker 1: investigators wasted no time trying to get to the bottom
Speaker 1: of what had happened. Boston homicide detectives quickly reviewed surveillance
Speaker 1: footage from the Cure Lounge and noted Aaron Hernandez among
Speaker 1: the clubgoers that night. Initially, his presence was viewed by
Speaker 1: the detectives as coincidental, but their opinion shifted when it
Speaker 1: was revealed that the silver Suv, a loner from a
Speaker 1: car dealership, had been hidden in Robert Valentine's garage. You
Speaker 1: remember Terry Hernandez's maiden name, right, Valentine. Robert Valentine was
Speaker 1: Aaron hernandez uncle. Now the silver Suv used in the
Speaker 1: drive by shooting of daniel lebrou and Safiro Fortado could
Speaker 1: be linked to the troubled tight end. Sadly, for the
Speaker 1: devastated families of a bru In Fortado, the prosecution's case
Speaker 1: was light on forensics and relied heavily on testimony from
Speaker 1: Aaron hernandez friend and assistant Alexander Bradley, who received immunity
Speaker 1: in exchange for taking the stand. Alexander Bradley said he
Speaker 1: was with Aaron Hernandez during the fatal shooting, and since
Speaker 1: the prosecution couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it
Speaker 1: had been Aaron and not Alexander who pulled the trigger,
Speaker 1: Aaron was acquitted of the double homicide. Chillingly, Aaron had
Speaker 1: gotten a tattoo of a gun similar to the murder weapon,
Speaker 1: with exactly five bullets, the same number of bullets that
Speaker 1: had been fired. That is not random, That is not art.
Speaker 1: That is evidence. Prosecutor Patrick Hagen said, that is a confession.
Speaker 1: The deadly Cure Lounge incident left an indelible mark on
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez, and not a good one. While you might
Speaker 1: assume that he'd take such an experience and recognize the
Speaker 1: need to dramatically shift his behavior, you be wrong, dead wrong.
Speaker 1: Aaron instead became even more volatile and unpredictable. Even the
Speaker 1: other Patriots players were increasingly concerned. Brandon Lloyd, a receiver
Speaker 1: for the New England Patriots, shared his observations of Aaron
Speaker 1: hernandez erratic behavior, portraying a man caught between extreme mood
Speaker 1: shifts of aggression and vulnerability. There would be swings where
Speaker 1: he'd be the most hyper masculine, aggressive individual in the room,
Speaker 1: ready to fight somebody in fits of rage. Lloyd recounted, yet,
Speaker 1: in stark contrast, Hernandez could also be the most sensitive
Speaker 1: person in the room, talking about cuddling with his mother.
Speaker 1: Aaron hernandez continuing association with his friends from Bristol was
Speaker 1: definitely a worry for the other Patriots players, who knew
Speaker 1: about their troubling influence and were wary of Aaron's behavior
Speaker 1: in their presence. Dane Fletcher, a linebacker for the Patriots,
Speaker 1: expressed his reservations about Aaron's Bristol entourage setting boundaries for
Speaker 1: a Patriots get together by telling him, Chico, here's the
Speaker 1: one rule. You can bring one of your friends. I
Speaker 1: don't agree with your friends. You can bring one, but
Speaker 1: not any more than that was Dane Fletcher worried about
Speaker 1: what might happen in an altercation if the Patriot pals
Speaker 1: were outnumbered by Aaron's Bristol buddies. It certainly wouldn't have
Speaker 1: been an unreasonable concern. Despite the warning signs pointing to
Speaker 1: Aaron's increasing instability. The Patriots had a lot pinned on
Speaker 1: the broad shoulders of their talented tight end going into
Speaker 1: the twenty twelve NFL season, But for once, Aaron couldn't
Speaker 1: redeem himself on the field. He sustained an ankle injury
Speaker 1: that sidelined him for six games, a significant setback that
Speaker 1: was compounded by a shoulder injury a torn labrum that
Speaker 1: he got promptly on his return to the gridiron in
Speaker 1: a game against the Miami Dolphins. Aaron Hernandez soldiered through
Speaker 1: the pain of the torn labrum in order to participate
Speaker 1: in the season's final six games, which culminated in a
Speaker 1: disappointing loss to Baltimore in the conference championship game. It
Speaker 1: was to be the last game of Aaron Hernandez's short
Speaker 1: but mostly stellar career. That off season for Aaron was
Speaker 1: marked by turmoil. He and his assistant Alexander Bradley, seemingly
Speaker 1: undeterred by their summer escapade and the resultant violent deaths
Speaker 1: of daniel lebru and Saphiro Furtado, revisited the cure lounge.
Speaker 1: Their departure from the venue escalated into a high speed
Speaker 1: pursuit by state troopers, culminating in Alexander Bradley's dui arrest.
Speaker 1: Aaron attempted to use his selectelebrity status to diffuse the situation,
Speaker 1: reportedly saying Trooper, I'm Aaron Hernandez. It's okay this time. However,
Speaker 1: it was anything but okay, and Aaron's fame offered no
Speaker 1: shield against the consequences of their actions. Bradley's dui stuck.
Speaker 1: The bad times continued from there. A subsequent trip to
Speaker 1: Florida for a Super Bowl party hosted by Aaron hernandez
Speaker 1: former teammate Deontay Thompson, only increased the divide between Aaron's
Speaker 1: smiling public image and his private psychological turmoil. Amidst the celebrations,
Speaker 1: Aaron's paranoia surged while at the Miami strip club Tutsis,
Speaker 1: where he suspected the presence of undercover police surveillance. Now
Speaker 1: his paranoia in this instance was not baseless. Alexander Bradley
Speaker 1: would later imply that their shared secret, the double murder
Speaker 1: of daniel Le Brow and Sofira Fertado, might well have
Speaker 1: attracted heightened police attention. That shared secret had also ratcheted
Speaker 1: up the tension between Aaron Hernandez and Alexander Bradley. Now
Speaker 1: I've told you that Alexander Bradley was Aaron's longtime friend
Speaker 1: and acting assistant, but he was a lot more than that.
Speaker 1: Alexander was a dangerous guy in his own right, a
Speaker 1: notorious drug kingpin and self proclaimed drug dealer. He was
Speaker 1: exactly the kind of person the other Patriot players tried
Speaker 1: to avoid engaging with. So when Aaron and Alexander had
Speaker 1: a disagreement, it was just about guaranteed to be bloody.
Speaker 1: That knight at Tutsi's in Miami, when Aaron was already
Speaker 1: worried about undercover police, Alexander apparently commented that the cops
Speaker 1: could be after him for the quote stupid shit he'd
Speaker 1: done in Boston. That remark was all it took to
Speaker 1: light Aaron Hernandez match. Aaron took Alexander to a somewhat
Speaker 1: remote area later that night and allegedly shot him in
Speaker 1: the head. Remarkably, Alexander Bradley survived the shot, but he
Speaker 1: lost his right eye, possibly because he himself didn't have
Speaker 1: great rapport with the police, and possibly because his account
Speaker 1: of events was faulty, Alexander Bradley refused to cooperate with
Speaker 1: the police investigating his shooting. Instead, he decided to try
Speaker 1: and seek revenge against Aaron Hernandez directly. I didn't want
Speaker 1: to talk to the police, Alexander Bradley said, when the
Speaker 1: case finally came to court in March twenty seventeen. I
Speaker 1: wanted mister Hernandez. I wanted his life. As Alexander Bradley recovered,
Speaker 1: albeit with significant injuries, the fallout from that night began
Speaker 1: to unfold, and a confrontation played out through text messages.
Speaker 1: Alexander's messages to Aaron were a blend of threats and
Speaker 1: demands for compensation, reflecting the deep scars left by the incident.
Speaker 1: You left me with one eye and a lot of
Speaker 1: head trauma. You owe for what you did, Alexander texted,
Speaker 1: igniting a furious exchange that saw Aaron desperately trying to
Speaker 1: navigate the threats looming over him. The once inseparable pair
Speaker 1: were now dangerous enemies. In an effort to shield himself
Speaker 1: from Alexander Bradley's relentless intimidation, Aaron Hernandez turned to Ernest
Speaker 1: bo Wallace, a Bristol acquaintance of his with a checkered past,
Speaker 1: for protection. It was clear that Aaron was genuinely worried
Speaker 1: about the threat Alexander posed. In fact, Aaron was so
Speaker 1: worried that he sought guidance from an unlikely confidant, Bill Belichick,
Speaker 1: the new England Patriots head coach. Aaron's approach to Belichick
Speaker 1: was uncharacteristic for an NFL player, signaling the depths of
Speaker 1: his desperation. He viewed Belichick not just as a coach,
Speaker 1: but as a surrogate father figure to whom he could
Speaker 1: safely reveal his fears. Their planned meeting at Gillette Stadium, however,
Speaker 1: fell through, pushing their discussion to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Speaker 1: This meeting represented a critical juncture, a moment where Into
Speaker 1: might have redirected Aaron's path. Apparently, Aaron laid bare his
Speaker 1: anxieties to Bill Belichick, expressing fears for his and his
Speaker 1: family's safety and hinting at the tumult beneath his professional facade.
Speaker 1: He allegedly spoke of feeling pursued, even fearing assassination on
Speaker 1: the football field. A startling admission that highlighted his profound
Speaker 1: sense of vulnerability and paranoia. Brian Murphy, Aaron Hernandez agent,
Speaker 1: later testified about the gravity of the situation, recounting how
Speaker 1: Aaron had even pondered a drastic career shift to ensure
Speaker 1: his family's safety. He wanted to talk to Coach Belichick
Speaker 1: about possibly being traded or released so he could go
Speaker 1: play for one of the West Coast teams, Brian Murphy revealed,
Speaker 1: underlining Aaron's desperation for a geographical escape from the threats
Speaker 1: that shadowed him. Of course, many of the threats were
Speaker 1: of his own making, but still, his outreach to Coach
Speaker 1: Belichick seemed like I could cry for help from a
Speaker 1: grown man drowning under the weight of his own bad choices.
Speaker 1: The response from the Patriots, and specifically from Bill Belichick,
Speaker 1: to Aaron hernandez plea for help, raises poignant questions about
Speaker 1: the potential missed opportunities for intervention. Coach Belichick's seeming acknowledgment
Speaker 1: of Aaron's concerns, only to later dismiss them, underscores a
Speaker 1: disconcerting lack of sufficient response to a player clearly in
Speaker 1: turmoil he was a twenty two year old kid who
Speaker 1: was ultimately signed for an enormous amount of money, who
Speaker 1: had known problems, and no one did anything to try
Speaker 1: to address what was going on, said George Leean Tyre,
Speaker 1: one of Aaron hernandez lawyers. But while what Attorney lean
Speaker 1: Tyre said is certainly true, and while there were opportunities
Speaker 1: for others to intervene, ultimately Aaron Hernandez was a grown
Speaker 1: man responsible for his own actions, and those actions were unconscionable.
Speaker 1: The descent of Aaron Hernandez into the abyss of his
Speaker 1: darkest impulses marks a stark departure from the image of
Speaker 1: an NFL star on the rise. With so much attention
Speaker 1: going towards his anxieties around Alexander Bradley's revenge threats, Aaron's
Speaker 1: commitment to football and the discipline it requires began to wane.
Speaker 1: This drew the ire of Coach Belichick. Aaron hernandez flippant
Speaker 1: attitude toward his professional responsibilities, coupled with a hint of
Speaker 1: mockery towards Coach Belichick's reprimands, suggested a man increasingly detached
Speaker 1: from the ramifications of his actions. Rolling Stone exclusively reported
Speaker 1: that friends of Aaron Hernandez said he was using the
Speaker 1: maniacal drug angel dust or PCP by this time and
Speaker 1: was carrying a gun wherever he went. According to the magazine,
Speaker 1: sources close to the tight End added that throughout the spring,
Speaker 1: when players were expected to be preparing themselves for the
Speaker 1: marathon NFL season, Aaron Hernandez had missed workouts and sessions
Speaker 1: with a rehab trainer, and had been told by his
Speaker 1: head coach Bill Belichick that he was one misstep from
Speaker 1: being cut. Apparently, Aaron also blew off sessions with his
Speaker 1: therapist Alex Guerrero and stood up Tom Brady, who was
Speaker 1: running a camp for Patriots receivers. And while he was
Speaker 1: sinking his relationships with the Patriots, Aaron was revving up
Speaker 1: his associations with guys like Ernest bo Wallace and Carlos Ortiz,
Speaker 1: both of whom had troubling pasts and were living listlessly
Speaker 1: under the roof of Aaron's cousin, Tanya Singleton. These were
Speaker 1: men who had never found their way, and sure enough
Speaker 1: they were dragging Aaron Hernandez deeper and deeper into a
Speaker 1: life of crime. Odin Lloyd A twenty seven year old
Speaker 1: semi pro football player for the Boston Bandits had recently
Speaker 1: become an integral part of Aaron Hernandez's life. Alongside Ernest
Speaker 1: bo Wallace and Carlos Ortiz. Odin shared Aaron's interests in
Speaker 1: a busy nightlife, video games, and marijuana. Plus he was
Speaker 1: dating Aaron's fiance's sister, Shania Jenkins, further tying them together.
Speaker 1: Their camaraderie, however, took a fatal turn in the early
Speaker 1: hours of June fifteenth, twenty thirteen. After spending an evening together,
Speaker 1: something about Odin Lloyd's actions incited Aaron Hernandez, now infamous wrath.
Speaker 1: Did Odin become aware of Aaron's homosexuality and threaten to
Speaker 1: out him. Did Aaron see Odin talking with men whom
Speaker 1: Aaron had had earlier altercations with and feel betrayed. Nobody
Speaker 1: knows for sure, but whatever went down on June fifteenth,
Speaker 1: this much is clear. Odin Lloyd's fate was sealed. Even
Speaker 1: as he celebrated his first Father's Day as a dad
Speaker 1: with his own little daughter, Aviel. On June sixteenth, twenty thirteen,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez was orchestrating a deadly meet up with Odin Lloyd.
Speaker 1: Aaron texted Odin under the pretense of continued friendship and
Speaker 1: a possible drug pickup plan for the early hours of
Speaker 1: the following morning. Then Aaron texted his two pals, Ernest
Speaker 1: bo Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, asking them for help in
Speaker 1: killing Odin Lloyd. And that is exactly what happened. The
Speaker 1: ensuing events unfolded with chilling precision as Aaron, along with
Speaker 1: Ernest and Carlos, picked up Odin Lloyd around two thirty
Speaker 1: am on June seventeenth, twenty thirteen, under the pretense of
Speaker 1: picking something up altogether, and then drove him to an
Speaker 1: industrial park where his life was brutally ended between three
Speaker 1: twenty three and three point thirty am in a hail
Speaker 1: of gunfire. Odin sent cryptic final texts to his sister
Speaker 1: from the passenger seat of Aaron's car just moments before
Speaker 1: his murder, indicating his awareness of the peril he was in.
Speaker 1: He texted her, did you you see who I am with? NFL?
Speaker 1: Just so you know. Five forty five caliber bullet casings
Speaker 1: matching the five bullet wounds in Odin Lloyd's body, were
Speaker 1: found near where he was killed. Police would settle quickly
Speaker 1: on Aaron Hernandez as their prime suspect, since he was
Speaker 1: captured in video footage with Odin Lloyd not long before
Speaker 1: the assassination. The investigation that followed peeled away the facade
Speaker 1: of Aaron Hernandez's dual existence, revealing a man ensnared by
Speaker 1: his own decisions and associations. Patriots coach Bill Belichick and
Speaker 1: Patriot's owner Robert Craft, confronted with the possibility of one
Speaker 1: of their player's involvement and murder, sought clarity swiftly and
Speaker 1: directly from Erin. Both men were met with adamant denials
Speaker 1: of any wrongdoing by Aaron. Robert Craft remembered finding Aaron
Speaker 1: Hernandez in a weight room working out and pulling him
Speaker 1: into an adjacent office for private talk. I told him
Speaker 1: that I understood there was an incident, that it transpired,
Speaker 1: and I wanted to know whether he was involved and
Speaker 1: if he was any player that comes into our system
Speaker 1: I consider part of our extended family, and I wanted
Speaker 1: to get him help. Robert Kraft recalled, but Aaron said
Speaker 1: he was not involved, that he was innocent, and that
Speaker 1: he hoped that the time of the murder incident came
Speaker 1: out because he said he was in a club. Later,
Speaker 1: when Robert Kraft saw Aaron Hernandez one final time in
Speaker 1: the stadium, he related that Aaron hugged and kissed me
Speaker 1: and thanked me for my concern. Robert Kraft's final encounter
Speaker 1: with Aaron Hernandez, marked by a hug and a kiss,
Speaker 1: symbolized the tragic disconnect between Aaron's projected innocence and the
Speaker 1: horrible reality of his actions. It wouldn't be long before
Speaker 1: Robert Kraft and the world reali the full tragedy that
Speaker 1: was the Aaron Hernandez saga. Just days later, on June
Speaker 1: twenty sixth, twenty thirteen, Aaron was arrested, charged with first
Speaker 1: degree murder and multiple firearms violations. Within two hours of
Speaker 1: his arrest, the New England Patriots, facing a crisis unlike
Speaker 1: any other in their storied history, had severed ties with
Speaker 1: their once lauded tight end annulling the remainder of his
Speaker 1: forty one million dollar contract. Globe sportswriter Greg Badard covered
Speaker 1: the unraveling, writing, that's when you realized that this was
Speaker 1: not going to probably end well for Aaron Hernandez. His
Speaker 1: words encapsulated the shock and disbelief that must have enveloped
Speaker 1: the higher ups who had once celebrated Aaron's athletic prowess
Speaker 1: and signature. Megawatt smiled. Robert Kraft publicly expressed his sense
Speaker 1: of betrayal, stating that he and the Patriots organization had
Speaker 1: been duped by Aaron Hernandez. This sentiment was echoed by
Speaker 1: coach Bill Belichick in a rare and emotional address. Belichick,
Speaker 1: known for his stoic demeanor and focus on football operations,
Speaker 1: admitted to feeling personally disappointed and hurt by the turn
Speaker 1: of events. As the coach of the team, I'm primarily
Speaker 1: responsible for the people that we bring into the football operation,
Speaker 1: Bill Belichick solemnly declared. Overall, I'm proud of the hundreds
Speaker 1: of players that have come through this program, but I'm
Speaker 1: personally disappointed and hurt in a situation like this. While
Speaker 1: nobody could have foreseen just how debilitating of a downfall
Speaker 1: Aaron would have, it's difficult to imagine that Bill Belichick
Speaker 1: didn't regret not having helped his paranoid player who had
Speaker 1: come to him asking for his help just months earlier.
Speaker 1: The Patriot's locker room, a place once energized by Aaron
Speaker 1: hernandez talent and charisma, was left to grapple with the
Speaker 1: reality of his actions. Belichick, seeking to guide his team
Speaker 1: through this tumultuous period, made made it clear that Aaron's
Speaker 1: name would no longer be a part of their discourse.
Speaker 1: Dane Fletcher recounted Coach Belichick's firm directive, Aaron Hernandez is
Speaker 1: not part of this team, Belichick stated, unequivocally, he will
Speaker 1: not be spoken about in this locker room. While the
Speaker 1: NFL rolled on, Aaron Hernandez had to adjust from the
Speaker 1: roar of Patriots fans to the austere confines of prison
Speaker 1: as he awaited trial in the summer of twenty fourteen
Speaker 1: at the Suffolk County Jail. His life, once filled with
Speaker 1: Sunday glory, the rush of money, and the corderie of teammates,
Speaker 1: was replaced by a seven x ten foot cell existence
Speaker 1: with limited visits from his fiancee Chayana, and daughter Aviel
Speaker 1: through a glass window. Yet, Aaron Hernandez seemed to find
Speaker 1: a peculiar contentment in his new structured life, finding solace
Speaker 1: and poker cribbage reading. Harry Potter and even deriving small
Speaker 1: pleasure from warming snacks in the prison mindcrowave this man,
Speaker 1: who had found a path to the top amidst the
Speaker 1: chaos of the outside world, now found comfort in the
Speaker 1: meticulous organization of his cell, describing it to us fiancee
Speaker 1: Seanna Jenkins as my room is very organized. It's actually cozy.
Speaker 1: I think I enjoy it too much. Aaron's adaptation to
Speaker 1: prison life, with its enforced structure and routine, contrasted sharply
Speaker 1: with the free spirited life he'd let outside. I tried
Speaker 1: as hard as I could to live the dream life,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez confided during one of his nearly three hundred
Speaker 1: phone calls from jail, but it didn't end up working out.
Speaker 1: Mark Ziogus, who had coached Aaron years earlier in Little League,
Speaker 1: detected a sense of relief in his letters from prison.
Speaker 1: It almost feels like the pressure on Aaron is off
Speaker 1: now that he is in jail. Mark said he must
Speaker 1: have felt a lot of pressure. It makes you feel sad.
Speaker 1: Why didn't he try to deal with it through counseling
Speaker 1: or something. But prison is not a party, and the
Speaker 1: seemingly peaceful existence Aaron was leading was merely a waiting
Speaker 1: period leading up to his trial for the murder of
Speaker 1: Odin Lloyd. Despite the damning evidence and the high profile
Speaker 1: nature of the case, Aaron Hernandez seemed to remain hopeful
Speaker 1: about his future, telling friends from his cell that they
Speaker 1: know I ain't do shit. They know I'm innocent. But
Speaker 1: even Aaron's own family wasn't convinced. Djy's enduring love for
Speaker 1: his brother overshadowed the grim reality of Aaron's circumstances. Whether
Speaker 1: Aaron did or did not do it, I don't know,
Speaker 1: he said, And honestly, it's irrelevant, he continued, it really is.
Speaker 1: He's in a situation because he decided to be in
Speaker 1: the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong people.
Speaker 1: I still love him. That's not going to change. If
Speaker 1: I see him out here one day, the first thing
Speaker 1: I'm going to do is give him a hug and
Speaker 1: a kiss, just like we used to do with my father.
Speaker 1: But dj never did get the chance to embrace his
Speaker 1: brother Aaron in freedom again. On April fifteenth, twenty fifteen,
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of Odin Lloyd's murder and
Speaker 1: was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Speaker 1: This verdict catapulted Aaron from the Suffolk County Jail's relatively
Speaker 1: relaxed atmosphere to the harsh confines of the Suza Bereanowski
Speaker 1: Correctional Center. Moving from jail to maximum security prison is
Speaker 1: often a tremendous culture shot for inmates, and this was
Speaker 1: certainly the case for Aaron Hernandez. Allegedly, the guards taunted
Speaker 1: the inmates in the regime inside the facility was so
Speaker 1: strict as to be utterly dehumanizing. In fact, the prison
Speaker 1: has itself been at the center of review, with an
Speaker 1: inmate uprising occurring as recently as twenty seventeen, when prisoners
Speaker 1: reported being denied basic rights such as showers. Arin, like
Speaker 1: so many of the inmates at SUSA Baroniowski Correctional Center,
Speaker 1: struggled against his new harsh reality. According to CNN, Aaron
Speaker 1: racked up about a dozen separate disciplinary offenses between May
Speaker 1: twenty fifteen and October twenty sixteen, including three fistfights, two
Speaker 1: smoking related issues, two surprised prison tattoos, in possession of
Speaker 1: a nearly six inch sharpened metal shive. This report certainly
Speaker 1: paints a very dark picture of Aaron's life behind maximum
Speaker 1: security bars. On Wednesday, April nineteenth, twenty seventeen, at three
Speaker 1: oh five am, twenty seven year old Aaron Hernandez was
Speaker 1: found hanged naked from a bed sheet attached to a
Speaker 1: window in his cell at the suz of Barnowski Correctional Center.
Speaker 1: John three point sixteen was written in blood on his
Speaker 1: forehead and on the prison cell wall. That passage reads,
Speaker 1: for God so loved the world that he gave his
Speaker 1: only begotten son, for whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
Speaker 1: but have everlasting life. State police said Aaron's right middle
Speaker 1: finger had a fresh cut and there was blood on
Speaker 1: his adjacent fingers. Besides the John three sixteen written on
Speaker 1: his forehead, there also appeared to be a large circular
Speaker 1: blood mark on each of his feet. His Bible had
Speaker 1: been left open to John three sixteen, with the verse
Speaker 1: marked in blood, and as reported by People magazine, three
Speaker 1: handwritten notes were found next to that bible, one for
Speaker 1: his fiance Shayanna Jenkins, one for his daughter Avil Jenkins Hernandez,
Speaker 1: and one for his attorney, Jose Bayaz. To Shayana, he wrote,
Speaker 1: you have always been my soulmate, and I want you
Speaker 1: to love life and know I'm always with you. I
Speaker 1: told you what was coming indirectly. I love you so
Speaker 1: much and know you are an angel. We split into
Speaker 1: two to come change the world. Your character, Ristic is
Speaker 1: that of a true angel in the definition of God's love.
Speaker 1: Tell my story fully, but never think anything besides how
Speaker 1: much I love you. And to his young daughter, Aaron's
Speaker 1: words were, Daddy will never leave you. I'm entering to
Speaker 1: the timeless realm, in which I can enter into any
Speaker 1: form at any time, because everything that could happen or
Speaker 1: not happened, I see all at once. Life is eternal, believe.
Speaker 1: In the wake of his death, even those intimately familiar
Speaker 1: with Aaron's struggles expressed shock. Today my heart hurts, says
Speaker 1: I got the worst news I could have imagined, NFL
Speaker 1: Center Mike Pouncy said, and some, like Aaron's former agent
Speaker 1: Brian Murphy, flat out didn't believe the police report. Absolutely
Speaker 1: no chance he took his own life, Brian posted, Chico
Speaker 1: was not a saint, but my family and I loved
Speaker 1: him and he would never take his own life. As
Speaker 1: the theories swirled, the scientists wasted no time they had
Speaker 1: work to do. By twenty seventeen, CTE had been officially
Speaker 1: recognized by the NFL, and medical professionals were keen to
Speaker 1: understand how Aaron hernandez multiple head injuries might have contributed
Speaker 1: to his life choices and untimely death. Seven months after
Speaker 1: his suicide, the announcement came from Boston University CTE Center.
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez had suffered from a severe case of CTE.
Speaker 1: Doctor Ann McKee, the neuropathologist who heads up Boston University
Speaker 1: CTE Center, which has studied the brains of more than
Speaker 1: three hundred and thirty dead football players, stated that Aaron's
Speaker 1: brain has been one of the most significant contributions to
Speaker 1: our work. On a CTE severity scale of one to four,
Speaker 1: Aaron hernandez brain was classified as Stage three. Doctor McKee
Speaker 1: said she had never before seen so much damage in
Speaker 1: anyone younger than forty six years old. The fact that
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez was just twenty seven years old with that
Speaker 1: much damage was devastating. The posthumous discovery of CTE prompted
Speaker 1: a reevaluation of Aaron hernandez life and actions through the
Speaker 1: lens of his debilitating neurological condition. He had certainly exhibited
Speaker 1: behavior associated with CTE, including poor judgment, lack of impulse control, anger,
Speaker 1: and paranoia, but distinguishing how much his actions were influenced
Speaker 1: by his disease remains a complex and controversial challenge. After all,
Speaker 1: Aaron's life was also marred by substance abuse, unresolved issues
Speaker 1: related to his sexuality, and the impact of childhood trauma.
Speaker 1: These factors make it impossible to attribute his behavior solely
Speaker 1: to his neurological condition. As American psychologist Thomas Gilovich said,
Speaker 1: we are the sum total of our experiences, well put,
Speaker 1: and there are certainly a lot of experiences to add
Speaker 1: up when it comes to accounting for the Aaron Hernandez story.
Speaker 1: But as film director and actor Woody Allen, who himself
Speaker 1: has come under public scrutiny multiple times for alleged sexual
Speaker 1: misconduct counter equipped in the nineteen eighty nine film Crimes
Speaker 1: and Misdemeanors, we are the sum total of our choices,
Speaker 1: and here lies the crux of the Aaron Hernandez scandal
Speaker 1: and ensuing saga experiences versus choices, The public remains incredibly divided.
Speaker 1: Was he a victim of CTE or knowing aggressor wholly
Speaker 1: responsible for his actions. Some view Aaron hernandez criminal actions
Speaker 1: as utterly unforgivable, while others, like Doug Chef, the attorney
Speaker 1: for Odin Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, have given real thought
Speaker 1: as to whether Aaron's brain injury could explain the otherwise
Speaker 1: inexplicable To mention the resounding opinion of doctor Bennettemalu, the
Speaker 1: first doctor to identify CTE in football players, who said
Speaker 1: Aaron Hernandez wasn't an evil man. No, he wasn't. He
Speaker 1: was a sick man. Whatever you feel about the scandal
Speaker 1: of Aaron Hernandez, in the end, Odin Lloyd, Sephira Fertado,
Speaker 1: and daniel lebrou were dead alongside him, and speculations continue
Speaker 1: to swirl to this day around other murders which may
Speaker 1: or may not be attributable to the once great tight End.
Speaker 1: Aaron's story is a tragic convergence of talent, turmoil and
Speaker 1: unanswered questions. His journey from NFL stardom to death alone
Speaker 1: in a prison cell reflects the profound impact of both
Speaker 1: visible and invisible injuries, challenging all of us to consider
Speaker 1: the unseen battles that individuals may face and the complex
Speaker 1: legacy they leave behind. It's closing time with the Juice
Speaker 1: bar for today after that starring Saga. This Barista is
Speaker 1: all about self care and the Aaron Hernandez story is
Speaker 1: a lot to digest. But don't worry. I'll be back
Speaker 1: chock full of juice and raring to go with a
Speaker 1: fresh new sports scandal next week. Right here on Playing
Speaker 1: Dirty Sports Scandals, See you then. Playing Dirty Sports Scandals
Speaker 1: is a production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions
Speaker 1: and Workhouse Media from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson,
Speaker 1: Nick Panela, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary. Hosted by Jay Harris,
Speaker 1: Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francy Haiks, Maya Glickman,
Speaker 1: and Jennifer Claire.