Inside Aaron Hernandez's Violent Past

Odin Lloyd murder far from the first time he's been linked to a gun
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 3, 2013 9:22 AM CDT
Inside Aaron Hernandez's Violent Past
In this photo taken on Sept. 5, 2009, Aaron Hernandez right, talks with quarterback Tim Tebow on the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Charleston Southern in Gainesville, Fla.   (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Even before facing a murder charge, Aaron Hernandez was no stranger to violence, the AP reports. Some troubling incidents from his past:

  • In 2007, when he was just 17 and a freshman at the University of Florida, Hernandez was allegedly involved in a bar fight. A bouncer claimed Hernandez was being escorted out after refusing to pay his bill, and punched the worker in the head, leaving him with a burst eardrum. Then-teammate and close friend Tim Tebow tried to calm Hernandez down and pay the bill before things got violent, the Orlando Sentinel reports. It's not clear how the case was resolved.

  • The same year, Hernandez, two other Florida football players, and an NFL player were questioned in connection with a double shooting after Florida lost a game. They were reportedly cooperative, and no charges were filed.
  • Last year, police were called to a domestic disturbance involving fighting between Hernandez and his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, TMZ reports. Jenkins didn't want to press charges.
  • An acquaintance filed a civil lawsuit against Hernandez days before he was arrested, claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a Florida strip club in February. They had flown to the area together, but when the man was initially found shot in the eye, he said he didn't know who had done it.
  • Hernandez has also been linked to a bar fight in Rhode Island in May involving a gun; that incident may also have involved the same man who was with Hernandez on the night of Lloyd's murder.
  • And of course, there's the double murder Hernandez may have been linked to.
Time points out that NFL arrests are on the rise, with 31 players arrested since the Super Bowl. A labor economist finds the increased arrest rates "surprisingly high," considering players have such a huge incentive to stay out of trouble and earn millions on the field and through endorsements. (Click to see one columnist's explanation for the trend.)

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