124 Facts About Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Josef Hernandez was an American football tight end.

Aaron Hernandez played in the National Football League for three seasons with the New England Patriots until his career came to an abrupt end after his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

An All-American at Florida, Hernandez was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Aaron Hernandez made one Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XLVI.

Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.

Days after being acquitted of the double homicide, Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his cell, which was ruled a suicide.

Aaron Hernandez was born in Bristol, Connecticut, on November 6,1989, and raised on Greystone Avenue.

Aaron Hernandez's parents are Dennis Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Terri Valentine-Hernandez, of Italian descent.

Aaron Hernandez later stated there was constant fighting going on in the home.

The beatings Aaron Hernandez's father gave him and his brother were sometimes for no reason at all or were alcohol-related, but often came when their father believed they were not trying hard enough in school or athletics.

Aaron Hernandez once came to school with a bruise around his eye, and his coach believed that the injury resulted from his father attacking him.

In January 2006, when Aaron Hernandez was 16, Dennis died from complications from hernia surgery.

Aaron Hernandez became estranged from his mother, and largely moved in with Tanya Singleton, his older cousin.

Aaron Hernandez attended Bristol Central High School, where he played for the Bristol Rams football team.

Aaron Hernandez was an exceptional basketball player and track runner.

Aaron Hernandez started as a wide receiver before becoming a tight end, and played defensive end.

Aaron Hernandez set the state record for receiving yards in a single game with 376, the seventh-best in national high school history; he set a national high school record for yards receiving per game with 180.7.

Aaron Hernandez was considered the top tight-end recruit in 2007 by Scout.

Aaron Hernandez first began dating his future fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, during high school.

Aaron Hernandez smoked a large quantity of marijuana, smoking before school, practices, and games.

The young man who came to Gainesville wasn't academically prepared or emotionally grounded for college life, according to previously undisclosed college records and recordings of phone calls Aaron Hernandez later made from jail.

Aaron Hernandez's principal later said that the two were persuasive and heavily pressured Aaron Hernandez, but in retrospect that it was a mistake to allow him to graduate early.

Aaron Hernandez was not academically prepared for college and had to take remedial courses at Santa Fe Community College.

Between practices, games, team meetings, and other events, Aaron Hernandez put 40 to 60 hours a week into football, nearly year-round.

Aaron Hernandez finished the season with nine receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

Aaron Hernandez was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and was recognized as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, College Football News, and The Sporting News.

Aaron Hernandez later said that he was high on drugs every time he took the field.

Aaron Hernandez finished his college career with 111 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Aaron Hernandez was always trying to be "the life of the party," according to a teammate.

Aaron Hernandez 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.

Meyer later said that he found Aaron Hernandez to be "a distressed person" when he arrived on campus and tried to steer him in the right direction.

Aaron Hernandez reportedly grew close with the twins after rooming with them and staff considered the Pounceys a positive influence on Hernandez.

On January 6,2010, Aaron Hernandez announced his decision to forgo his senior year and enter the draft.

Aaron Hernandez 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, Aaron Hernandez participated at Florida's pro day and performed all of the combine drills.

Aaron Hernandez 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.

Aaron Hernandez received the lowest possible score in "social maturity" in a pre-draft report.

Later that day, the Patriots released a statement from Aaron Hernandez, who said that he had failed only one drug test while in college and was candid about it to interested teams at the NFL Combine.

Aaron Hernandez wrote a letter to every team, offering to be tested every other week during his rookie season.

The terms of his contract limited Aaron Hernandez's signing bonus to $200,000, which was less than half the signing bonus received by Patriots' fourth-round pick placekicker Stephen Gostkowski in 2006.

The Patriots declined to give Aaron Hernandez the expected $500,000 signing bonus as a precautionary measure.

Aaron Hernandez was used as the receiving tight end option with Crumpler inserted for plays that required blocking.

Aaron Hernandez started the 2010 season as the youngest player on any active roster in the NFL.

Aaron Hernandez became the youngest player since 1960 to have more than 100 receiving yards in a single game.

Aaron Hernandez had his first career carry for a three-yard gain against the Bills in Week 3.

Aaron Hernandez caught his first career touchdown on a two-yard pass by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady during the second quarter.

Aaron Hernandez was inactive for the last two games of the regular season due to a hip injury.

Aaron Hernandez finished his rookie season in 2010 with 45 receptions for 563 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions over 14 games with seven starts.

On February 21,2011, it was reported that Aaron Hernandez had undergone hip surgery after injuring it in Week 15.

Aaron Hernandez entered training camp slated as a backup tight end and competed to be the secondary tight end against Crumpler and Lee Smith.

Aaron Hernandez immediately let Johnson, who then legally had the last name "Ochocinco" based on his uniform number, have the No 85, choosing to go back to his college number of No 81, which was worn in 2010 by wide receiver Randy Moss, but became available after Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 2010.

Johnson and Aaron Hernandez both claimed no compensation was arranged and the transaction was a kind gesture between teammates and nothing more.

Aaron Hernandez was diagnosed with a sprained MCL and was inactive for he next two games.

Aaron Hernandez was perceived as a snub for the Pro Bowl by many analysts who argued he was more deserving than San Diego Chargers' tight end Antonio Gates.

Aaron Hernandez finished the season with a career-high 79 receptions for 910 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions in 14 games and 12 starts.

Aaron Hernandez ranked 15th among all players in receptions in 2011 and fifth among tight ends.

Aaron Hernandez finished 31st in the league with 910 receiving yards and tied for 21st with seven touchdown receptions.

Aaron Hernandez was considered to be the top H-Back in the league in 2011 and the tandem of Aaron Hernandez and Gronkowski widely regarded as one of the top offensive tandems in the league.

Aaron Hernandez had a 42-yard carry against the Broncos on the Patriots' first offensive drive of the game.

Aaron Hernandez caught seven passes for 66 receiving yards during the game.

Aaron Hernandez gave $50,000 of that bonus to a charity named for the late wife of the Patriots owner.

Aaron Hernandez was sidelined during the Patriots' Week 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals with a high ankle sprain and missed several weeks.

Aaron Hernandez was not popular with his teammates, and had few friends in the locker room.

Aaron Hernandez was known as one of the hardest working members of the team.

In one of his letters sent from his time in prison, Aaron Hernandez disparaged Kraft as "fake-ass non-loyal" but expressed admiration for several of his teammates.

Aaron Hernandez was the closest with Brady, he said, and friendly with Julian Edelman and Deion Branch.

Aaron Hernandez had a number of run-ins with the law throughout his life, beginning just a few months after he arrived in Florida as a pre-freshman.

Aaron Hernandez said that he believed people were trying to physically challenge him and were looking to fight him.

Aaron Hernandez had a second apartment that was kept a secret from his fiancee Shayanna Jenkins.

In 2012, Aaron Hernandez told his agent that he got his respect through weapons.

Aaron Hernandez picked a photo of Hernandez out of a police lineup.

The other players cooperated with police, but Aaron Hernandez invoked his right to counsel and refused to talk to police.

Detective Tom Mullins, who was assigned to reinvestigate the shooting, concluded that Aaron Hernandez was not the triggerman.

The Plainville police recognized Aaron Hernandez, and told the two to go indoors.

Aaron 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.

Police immediately identified Aaron Hernandez, who was then playing for the Patriots, in the club's security camera footage, but thought it was a coincidence that Aaron Hernandez happened to be at the club that evening.

On May 15,2014, Aaron Hernandez was indicted on murder charges for the killings of de Abreu and Furtado, with additional charges of armed assault and attempted murder associated with shots fired at the surviving occupants in the vehicle.

Jose Baez, Aaron Hernandez's attorney, argued that the proposed motive was implausible, and Aaron Hernandez was a suspect of convenience too close to two unsolved murders.

Bradley alleged that Aaron Hernandez was infuriated after the victims spilled a drink on him at a nightclub several hours before the shooting and killed them in retaliation.

Security camera footage confirmed that Aaron Hernandez was in the club for less than ten minutes.

Aaron Hernandez began to worry about two men sitting across from them, thinking they were plainclothes Boston police officers.

Bradley claimed that on February 13,2013, during the same trip, he woke up in a car with Aaron Hernandez pointing a gun at his face.

Aaron Hernandez did not cooperate with police, but instead sought revenge.

Bradley demanded $5 million to keep his silence, and Aaron Hernandez countered with $1.5 million.

Aaron Hernandez did not respond, but instead went to see his lawyer.

Aaron Hernandez withdrew the suit four days later, giving the two a chance to work out a settlement without the media knowing about it.

On September 3,2013, Aaron Hernandez's lawyers filed a postponement request in federal court until his murder charges were resolved.

In February 2016, Aaron Hernandez reached a settlement with Bradley over the lawsuit.

On May 11,2015, Aaron Hernandez was indicted for witness intimidation in relation to the Bradley shooting, since Bradley was reportedly a witness to the 2012 Boston double homicide.

The intimidation charge for Aaron Hernandez carried a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

Aaron Hernandez was later acquitted of the charge of witness intimidation by a jury on April 14,2017.

Aaron Hernandez traveled to California with Jenkins and their young daughter in 2013 to have shoulder surgery.

Aaron Hernandez found his brother alone on the roof of the building one night, looking defeated and rubbing the barrel of a gun against his face.

On June 26,2013, Aaron Hernandez was charged with first-degree murder, in addition to five gun-related charges.

Since Aaron Hernandez had not completed his fourth season in the league, the Patriots were required to place him on waivers after releasing him.

In prison phone calls, Aaron Hernandez expressed distress at his treatment by Belichick and the Patriots.

Aaron Hernandez replaced the stickers, as well as trading cards, with cards depicting Tim Tebow.

Aaron Hernandez gave power of attorney to his agent, and instructed him to provide his fiancee with $3,000 a month and to help her find more affordable housing.

Aaron Hernandez set aside $500,000 for his fiancee and their daughter, and $120,000 for a close friend.

The request was granted May 9,2017; therefore Aaron Hernandez technically died an innocent man, due to the legal principle of abatement ab initio.

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.

The Boston Globe described Aaron Hernandez as being "strangely content" while in jail, an attitude that confounded his fiancee Shayanna Jenkins.

Aaron Hernandez could speak to Jenkins on the phone, and often did twice a day, but she was facing perjury charges related to his arrest.

Aaron Hernandez only saw his daughter when Jenkins' mother brought her to visit.

Aaron Hernandez asked to move out of segregation, but Sheriff Thomas M Hodgson would not allow it.

Aaron Hernandez's lawyer claimed that he was taunted relentlessly by guards.

Gifts such as these were rare in prison, but not unusual for Aaron Hernandez, according to a fellow inmate.

Aaron Hernandez had been smoking K2, a drug associated with psychosis, within thirty hours of his death.

Aaron Hernandez learned about the Nation of Gods and Earths, a movement influenced by Islam, through hip hop culture while in prison.

Jose Baez, Aaron Hernandez's attorney, reprinted the contents of the notes in his 2018 book Unnecessary Roughness.

Aaron Hernandez told Jenkins "You're rich," which prosecutors in the Lloyd case believed was a reference to abatement ab initio, the legal doctrine that vacates convictions if a defendant dies before his appeals are exhausted.

Prison officials had not observed any signs that Aaron Hernandez was at risk for suicide, so he had not been put on around-the-clock watch.

At the request of his family, Aaron Hernandez's brain was released to Boston University to be studied for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative disease found in people who have had a severe blow or repeated blows to the head, including football players who have concussions.

In 2007, Aaron Hernandez began dating Shayanna Jenkins, a girl he had known since elementary school.

Aaron Hernandez told police that she cooked and cleaned and she knew her role.

Aaron Hernandez installed a sophisticated surveillance system in his home.

Shortly thereafter, Aaron Hernandez approached Coach Bill Belichick "in a state of deepening paranoia," saying he feared for his family's safety.

Aaron Hernandez's agent testified that Aaron Hernandez requested the meeting because he was in fear for his life.

Aaron Hernandez requested a trade to a team on the other side of the country, but the request was denied.

Aaron Hernandez purchased a Chevrolet Suburban that had been outfitted as an armored car.

Aaron Hernandez had secret compartments installed in vehicles to store firearms.

Teammates said that Aaron Hernandez was prone to wild mood swings and became more agitated as time went on.

Aaron Hernandez was said to go from being hyper-masculine to talking about cuddling with his mother.

Jose Baez wrote that he saw symptoms consistent with CTE from his earliest meetings with Aaron Hernandez: Aaron Hernandez sometimes showed keen insight and observational skills, while other times he had gaps in memory that were highly unusual for a young person.