It will be interesting to see if Aaron Hernandez is found Not Guilty in all of this...if the Patriots welcome him back. Or anyone, for that matter in the NFL. But I feel this is something that the Patriots needed to do with everything that had transpired with Hernandez. This whole thing had just spiraled out of control to the point where this was, truly, their only option.
No, not generally, the Pats are generally unforgiving when it comes to things like this. Belichick runs a pretty tight ship, and further, whether found guilty or not, Hernandez was involved in some pretty devious stuff.
At best, and I mean, at best, he knew exactly what happened, and went to great lengths to destroy the evidence behind it. I try not to suppose when it comes to things like this, we've seen people with far more evidence against him then not be convicted then have their sentences overturned when later cleared by DNA or what-have-you. Still, he obstructed justice in a murder case, at the very least, and that alone gave the Pats cause to release him.
The entire scenario regarding the murder and supposed 'motives' the Patriots laid out comes to me as odd, to say the least. Hernandez ordered or carried out an execution style murder because Odin Lloyd was talking to people Hernandez "had problems with" in the past? My wonder is that he may have found some things out about Hernandez, whether they be from the past or today that Hernandez wanted to keep a lid on, Hernandez somehow found out, and had him/killled him. That, or Lloyd was trying to blackmail him with the information, and didn't realize what Hernandez was capable of. Either way, it's a conundrum, to say the least. Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez' fiancee, but yet, Lloyd's last few texts with his sister shortly before the murder took place were awfully suspicious, as if he knew what was coming. Here's how the conversation played out.
Lloyd:
Did you see who I'm with?
LLoyd's Sister:
Who are you with?
LLoyd: NFL. Just so you know.
Lloyd knew some bad stuff was about to go on, or at least suspected, one would surmise from the texts. Now ultimately, should Hernandez be cleared of all charges, which seems highly unlikely, someone will sign him. I'm sure he'll miss this season as he's being held without bail and trial dates generally taking up to a year to commence. Hernandez is being held without bail, so he'll stay in prison until then, unless the judge changes his mind or some evidence is found that absolutely exonerates him.
Looking into Hernandez' past, there were a few drug arrests in college, which caused him to slip from a projected 1st rounder to the 4th. However, it's a big leap from drugs to murder, but perhaps(and I'm making a HUGE assuming) he was using again, as reports show him to be acting extremely paranoid as of late, even hours before the murder.
As for the Pat depth at tight end, they're a vulnerable team suddenly a offensive skill positions, that's for sure. Hernandez will never be back with the Pats, I would assume, and Gronkowski is still recovering from his 127th surgery this offseason. Couple that will Wes Welker's departure, and the team is hurting most where they can least afford it, even with signing the poor man's Welker in Danny Amendola. If anyone can shine crap, however, it's Brady, so the Pats, while down, are certainly not out. They have a full camp to do so.
Hernandez doesn't have that luxury. He's always come across as somewhat of a douche, not unlike my hometown here, Ben Roethlisberger, who most people genuflect towards when they cross his pathway. Then the alleged rape happened and reports suddenly came out about how terrible a human being he was and how his misogyny was prevalent for some time, simply objects.
Still, as awful as that may have been, it doesn't light a candle to anything Hernandez did. While most of Pittsburgh has welcomed Ben back with open arms(some still harbor him ill will and want him gone), Hernandez will never be welcome back in New England.
Nor, despite what our society peddles about 'second chances' should he be. Cincinnati may not even touch him.
