Nearly eight years after his death, new revelations of bizarre behavior by New England Patriots tight end â and later, convicted murderer â Aaron Hernandez continue to surface.
This time, however, the source of the revelation is a Patriots legend who was not only a teammate of Hernandez for three years, but also a tight end. Rob Gronkowski, in fact, is widely considered the greatest tight end ever to play the position.
Both players were drafted by the Patriots in 2010, Gronkowski in the second round out of Arizona, Hernandez in the fourth, from Florida. The two tight ends formed an seemingly undefendable tandem for the three seasons the Hernandez played for New England â a major factor in getting the Patriots to the Super Bowl in the 2011 season.
Hernandez caught eight passes and scored a touchdown in that Super Bowl, ultimately lost by the Patriots to the New York Giants.
Hernandez Convicted of Murder in 2015
But 2012 would be Hernandez’s final season not only with New England, but in professional football. On June 26, 2013, the 23-year-old was arrested on a charge of first degree murder in the death of an acquaintance, Odin Lloyd, whose bullet-riddled body was found nine days earlier in a North Attleboro, Massachusetts, industrial park about a mile from Hernandez’s home.
Hernandez was convicted of Lloyd’s murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Hernandez was later charged with two other murder counts from a separate incident, but acquitted in 2017.
Just five days after the acquittal, Hernandez committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell.
Bizarre Behavior in Front of Patriots Teammates
While it seemed like the sordid story was complete, Gronkowski apparently has more to say about his late teammate. Appearing on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast Monday, Gronkowski was asked about a rumor that the apparently mentally disturbed Hernandez would engage in auto-erotic sexual activity during team meetings.
While saying that he could neither “confirm or deny” that the rumor was true, Gronkowski left little doubt that he was confirming it.
âThatâs a possibility, that one,â Gronkowski replied, seemingly embarrassed to talk about the subject. âI may or may not have seen it live.”
Collecting himself after being surprised by the question about Hernandez’s strange behavior in front of teammates, Gronkowski added that he “encouraged” what Hernandez was doing.
âI love crazy (stuff), though,â the 36-year-old “Gronk” continued. âI didnât mind things like that. I was like, âWow, that was pretty epic.â I was a wild man myself. Nothing fazed me.â
Gronkowski also said that though Hernandez acted strangely, neither he nor anyone on the Patriots anticipated that he would be involved in murder.
âI didnât see that happening. That was a surprise,” Gronkowski said. “It was a surprise to everyone because you would never expect anyone, especially in that position, to have it go to the level that it went to.â
The future Hall of Fame retired tight end, however, praised Hernandez’s skills at playing the difficult position, which requires both pass-receiving and blocking on the offensive line.
âThat guy knew the plays inside and out, the run game and pass game, in like the first two weeks of being in New England. I struggled with it all the way until like Week 8,” Gronkowski â would go on to play in four more Super Bowls and win three, two with the Patriots, one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers â recalled. âItâs unfortunate what happened because the talent was just through the roof, man.â
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