New England Patriots player faces backlash for calling Aaron Hernandez "legend"

28 July 2023 , 19:08

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Aaron Hernandez died by suicide in prison in 2017 while serving a life sentence for first-degree murder

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has dubbed disgraced Pats player Aaron Hernandez a franchise "legend".

Henry, 28, has been on the Patriots ' roster since joining as a free agent in 2021 after leaving the Los Angeles Chargers. However, he is spending this offseason learning how best to play under returning offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who is also back as quarterbacks coach. Previously, he was with the franchise between 2007 and 2011 across various coaching roles. During that time, O'Brien worked with Hernandez during the tight end's first two years in the league.

However, the team released Hernandez before the 2013 season after being charged with first-degree murder and later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In April 2017, he took his own life while in his cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.

Before his football career ended after being convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd, Hernandez was one half of a dominant tight-end duo alongside Rob Gronkowski. Henry's comments to reporters on the first day of NFL training camp came after watching game film of his predecessors playing under the offensive coordinator.

After explaining he and new signing Mike Gesicki, who joins from the Miami Dolphins, were shown game tape by O'Brien of Gronkowski and Hernandez in action, Henry added: “Those guys are legends around here.” Gronk is a legendary figure from the franchise's recent past as a four-time Super Bowl champion. However, Hernandez is more infamous for his actions away from the field.

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On it, his football career hardly befits the legend tag either. He only played three seasons in the NFL and never achieved more than 1,000 receiving yards. Hernandez reached one Super Bowl at the end of the 2011 season, in which the Pats lost 21-17 to the New York Giants. Gronkowski's longevity in the league sets them apart, no matter how well they played together. In 11 seasons, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First Team All-Pro selection.

Gronkowski and Hernandez were teammates for a time in New England

Gronkowski was also included in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely considered one of the best tight ends of all time after setting several records for the position, including the most average receiving yards per game (68.3), average yards per target (9.9), and average touchdowns per game (0.69).

Despite Henry's faux pas, New England's head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick has spoken glowingly about his offseason work. “Great, good, really good, one of our best,” he told reporters about the tight end. “He was here every day, consistency. Made a lot of improvement this year. Last year he was coming off surgery, but this year he had a really good, productive offseason from a strength and conditioning standpoint. Last year, it was more rehab. He was productive on the field and gave us good leadership. He was great.”

Matthew Abbott