Signs of trouble started during days in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE — Aaron Hernandez reached the height of college football during his three seasons with the Florida Gators.
But signs of trouble also swirled around the team’s star tight end early on during his time in Gainesville.
No one could have imagined where it all one day would lead.
Convicted of murder and facing a life sentence without parole, Hernandez hanged himself in a Massachusetts prison Wednesday morning at age 27.
Last Friday, Hernandez was acquitted of a double homicide due to a lack of evidence. But the Connecticut native and former New England Patriot most likely would have spent his life behind bars.
Ten years ago, Hernandez arrived at UF as one of the plums of coach Urban Meyer’s top-rated 2007 class. The collection of talent included Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, Major Wright, Cam Newton, and Mike and Maurkice Pouncey.
At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds and possessing wide-receiver speed, Hernandez was a key member of the Gators’ 2008 national title team. The following season he was named All-America and won the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.
But during his time in Gainesville, Hernandez also was connected to two violent incidents that would foreshadow the tragic turn his life would take.
Hernandez was among four former Gator football players who were questioned in connection with a September 2007 Gainesville shooting. The Pouncey twins and former safety Reggie Nelson also spoke to police. But Hernandez, just 17 at the time of the incident, fit the description of the man who fired five shots into a car, wounding both passengers.
During the spring of 2007, Hernandez was accused of punching a bouncer at a popular Gainesville establishment while out with former star quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow reportedly tried to intervene, but Hernandez’s punch managed to rupture the victim’s eardrum.
No charges were filed against Hernandez in either incident. Neither event surfaced until 2013 when Hernandez was charged and eventually convicted with first-degree murder of semipro football player and onetime friend Odin Lloyd. At the time of Lloyd’s death, Hernandez was a rising NFL star with the Patriots.
Coach Bill Belichick snagged the 20-year-old Hernandez with a fourthround pick in 2010. Teams shied away from Hernandez after he admitted at the NFL Scouting Combine he used marijuana and had failed a drug test at UF.
A Pro Bowl alternate in 2011, Hernandez signed a $40 million contract during August 2012. The deal included a $12.5 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a tight end.
A year later, Hernandez was indicted for Lloyd’s murder. Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in April 2015.
Many believe Hernandez, who was raised in working class neighborhood in Bristol, Conn., began to lose his way when his father, Dennis, passed away in 2006.
On the football field, Hernandez continued to excel.
During his three seasons with the Gators, Hernandez caught 111 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led the nation’s tight ends with 850 receiving yards and 68 catches in 2009 to become the first UF tight end to earn first-team All-America honors.
The school commemorates All-America players with a brick outside the football offices at the southwest corner of the Swamp. In July 2013, UF removed Hernandez’s brick.
Hernandez’s achievements still appear in the school media guide. He also remains in the hearts of some former Gators, with Ahmad Black, Xavier Nixon and Max Garcia all posting messages recalling Hernandez and offering condolences to his family.