Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Josef Hernandez (Hernandez's proper full name was Aaron Josef Hernandez, Despite him being considered a top tight end prospect, multiple teams reportedly chose not to draft him because "he was a problem".)

Career statistics

NFL Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2010 NE 14 7 45 563 12.5 46 6 3 47 15.7 18 0 0 0 2011 NE 14 12 79 910 11.5 46 7 5 45 9.0 19 0 1 1 2012 NE 10 10 51 483 9.5 31 5 1 5 5.0 5 0 0 0 Career 38 29 175 1,956 11.2 46 18 9 97 10.8 19 0 1 1

Postseason

GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Fum !! Lost 2010 !! NE

2011 !! NE

2012 !! NE

Hernandez was later acquitted of the charge of witness intimidation by a jury on April 14, 2017. They found Hernandez guilty on one count of illegal possession of firearms and acquitted him of all other charges in the murders of de Abreu and Furtado. A private funeral service was held for Hernandez in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, following his death and was attended by his family, friends and former teammates including Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, and Brandon Spikes, and his attorneys.

The New England Patriots declined to issue a statement on Hernandez's death. Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith said he had no sympathy for Hernandez after his suicide and instead offered sympathies to the families affected by Hernandez's criminal actions, including Hernandez's own family and Odin Lloyd's family. Odin Lloyd's sister Olivia Thibou told Bleacher Report of her reaction to Hernandez's suicide, "I just started crying. I'm just ... confused. It doesn't make sense. The timing doesn't make any sense." Thibou said her sister Shaquilla visited their brother's grave after the suicide news broke. Then Shaquilla posted on Facebook: "Not every death deserves an RIP...." Ernesto Abreu, father of Daniel de Abreu, told The Boston Globe, "I'm not happy about his death. It's actually a shame. Any loss of life is a shame. I believe in leaving things in God's hands." Salvatore Furtado, father of Safiro Furtado, similarly told The Boston Globe, "Only God has the right to take somebody's life. It's very painful to me when somebody takes their own life." Snoop Dogg posted that he was saddened by Hernandez's death on his social media accounts. Jesse Jackson tweeted "Pray for the soul and family of Aaron Hernandez" after it was announced Hernandez committed suicide.

Former professional football player and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe reflected on Hernandez's downfall, "Once you reach a certain level, once you reach a professional athlete status, a lot of guys leave that life behind; Aaron Hernandez could not. He could not. He was not a studio gangster. He was a for-real gang member, and that was a part of him. That was equally as important to him as playing in the National Football League for the New England Patriots." Donté Stallworth, Hernandez's teammate from the New England Patriots, quoted a photo of Hernandez's fiancée Shayanna Jenkins and their daughter Avielle sitting in the courtroom during his double murder trial a few days before his suicide and tweeted, "While many are ecstatic about Aaron taking his life, let's not forget about this sweet little 4 year old baby who has to grow up with this."

Hernandez was featured in an "In Memoriam" video that paid tribute to NFL players who died in the last year at the U.S. Bank Stadium ahead of Super Bowl LII, surprising reporters in the audience.

Personal life

Relationships In 2007, Hernandez began dating Shayanna Jenkins, a girl he had known since elementary school. Their daughter Avielle was born in 2012,

After listening to nearly 300 recorded phone calls, The Boston Globe reported that Hernandez was "prone to going on homophobic rants." He admitted to a woman that he called frequently from prison that he was attracted to men and said it made him "angry all the time".

Prosecutors intended to raise the issue of his sexuality during the 2012 double homicide trial, a prospect that frightened Hernandez.

In other media Hernandez's arrest, conviction, and death attracted a great deal of media attention, especially because of increasing concerns about CTE in athletes. His life was the focus of a 2018 Boston Globe Spotlight Team investigation and a podcast called "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez & Football, Inc."

Hernandez, his crimes, conviction, and suicide were referenced during the Netflix special The Roast of Tom Brady (2024).