When I think of the New England Patriots, I think of Super Bowl champions and Aaron Hernandez. The game between the Patriots and the Seahawks was a game for the ages. Yet for many sports fans, the murder trial involving former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez overshadows the game.
Hernandez, the former Patriots tight end, was found guilty of murdering Odin Lloyd in 2013 and will spend the rest of his life in jail without the chance of parole.
As the verdict was being read, Hernandez stoically stood there. Watching him made me wonder if he was in shock or if he expected the guilty verdict.
If I had to guess, I’d say he expected the guilty verdict. Hernandez has been around trouble since his college days at the University of Florida. His attitude as a Gator was, “You can’t touch me.” And he was right — at least while he was in college.
He was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010 and that is when his life really started to spiral out of control. Hernandez was a gifted professional football player by day and a thug at night. In addition to this guilty verdict, he has a double-murder trial set for later in the year. He will have the right to appeal the guilty verdict although, in my opinion, his chances are not good. It appears as if unless a miracle happens that he will only be able to catch footballs behind prison bars.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in these types of cases, there is a part of the post verdict called victim impact statements. It gives family members a chance to express their hurt and sadness about their lost loved one.
Ursula Ward, the mother of Odin Lloyd, gave a heartfelt testimony about her loving son. Her comments were followed by other family members who gave similar testimonies.
