Aaron Hernández's life is the 'perfect' story of one of the 'falls to the most media hells in the history of sport. The NFL star went from signing a millionaire contract with the Patriots, to end up sentenced to life imprisonment. All this in less than a year. A descent to the 'sewers' of society that his brother, Dennis, is experiencing again.
Born on November 6, 1989 in Bristol, Aaron became one of the best American football players at the University of Florida. The Patriots set their gaze on him and in 2010 he was selected in the fourth round of the draft. Two years later he signed a five -year millionaire contract, with a bonus of 12.5 million dollars.
Foxborough, MA – 08/09/12 – First half: – (Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin), section: Sports, reporter: Youngs, slug: 10Saints-Patriots, LOID: 5.0.2209808092.
I had everything: sports success, fame, a contract of 40 million dollars in five years … but maybe, all this was too much. The death of his father, 'the king', was the beginning of the end. Known in his neighborhood in Bristol, he was also a football player. Aaron respected him more than anyone but a sudden death, when he underwent routine surgery, 'condemned' the young NFL star.
Being homosexual in the NFL?
It was in June 2013 when Aaron murdered his friend Odin Lloyd. An inexplicable a priori 'homicide, which ended with the young NFL promise committing suicide in its own cell after being sentenced to life imprisonment. Although Dennis Sansoucie, a friend of the Institute of Aaron, is essential to understand the only exit that Hernández found.
It was unthinkable that an NFL star was homosexual. Something that according to his youth friend, more than impossible, was a reality (which he could never face publicly). Sansoucie said that in his day they both experienced sexually. “We continue because we probably enjoyed it. Yes, we were in a relationship at that time, but at that time, we didn't see it that way,” Dennis explained.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, MA – AUGUST 22: Aaron Hernandez is escorted into the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court for his hearing on August 22
It was not the only motivation that ended with Aaron Suicide in his own cell. His brain and the continuous blows received due to the 'hardness' of American football had a lot to do. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (etc), detected after his death, allowed to clarify or at least find an explanation to his actions.
The family authorized Aaron's brain extraction after suicide and the conclusions achieved after studying it were decisive. It presented a state similar to someone affected by that degenerative disease that was at least 60 years old. In fact, the scientists who studied it considered it the most serious case ever registered in someone of their age. Aaron had a 'brutal' deterioration in his frontal, elementary lobes in the trial and decision making.
More causes … criminal
The murder of his friend was not the only cause that Hernández had to face throughout his life. A year before the violent death of Odin Lloyd, the bodies of two immigrants from Cabo Verde appeared inside a car in Boston. After analyzing the trail of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, the name of Aaron appeared. They all left, allegedly, in a recording of a nightclub. Although one of the companions of the NFL player, a friend at that time, accused him of these two deaths, Aaron managed not to be convicted. His lawyer, José Báez, managed to sow the doubt in the jury and Hernández ended up acquitted in this case.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, MA – AUGUST 22: Aaron Hernandez is escorted into Attleboro District Court prior to his hearing on August 22
Five days later he ended up hanging himself in his own cell. He could not overcome the reality of a life for which he was never prepared. Physical and psychological injuries that 'condemned' to one of the great NFL stars. After his death, and taking into account the doctrine that determined that a conviction should not be considered definitive until an appeal could determine whether mistakes were made at the time to the accused of a fair judgment, Hernández's conviction was eliminated. Although finally, the Massachusetts Supreme Court restored it in 2019 to try to consider the honor of the victim to the maximum.
The reality of the Hernández
A reality, that of the Hernández, who has returned to the media focus after the conviction received by his brother, Dennis. Sentenced to 18 months in prison (already completed) recently. He himself declared himself guilty on December 18. He threatened several times to plan a shooting against the UCONN University. In addition, on July 18 and 19, 2023, Dennis allegedly made multiple publications on Facebook threatening to damage or kill three people who live outside the State, including a judge of a state court.
Dennis Hernández, sentenced to 18 months in prison
Mental health and a path for none of the Hernández was prepared. A cluster of circumstances that ended with the life of Aaron and Odin Lloyd, under different conditions, but being both victims of their own reality.
