The life of Aaron Hernandez was a Shakespearian tragedy. A story that started well, but ended tragically. Today, Hernandez was found dead in his cell after allegedly hanging himself. Hernandez was only 27. He was recently acquitted of double-murder last Friday, and was in the process of appealing his 2015 murder conviction, which put him in jail for life.
Some would call it sad, while others would call it karma. I call it a tragedy. Where did it go wrong? Hernandez was on top of the world after signing a five-year, 40-million dollar deal back in 2012 with the Patriots. Along with Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez helped form one of the more dynamic tight end combinations in the history of the game. Unfortunately for Hernandez, he seemed to like the street life. He was playing in-between two worlds. He was a New England Patriot by day, and a thug by night. You can’t be both. Ultimately, it all caught up to him, and his double life ended when he killed Odin Lloyd in 2013.
If Hernandez had played in another city, would things have been different? (Hernandez grew up two hours from Boston in Bristol, CT). If his father were alive, would things be different? Hernandez lost his father at the age of 16.
We will never know.
Last week, when asked one word to describe Aaron Hernandez, Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick used the word “tragedy.”
Tragedy is the best word to describe the life of Aaron Hernandez.
