Your signature on a contract isn’t the only ink NFL teams might be interested in now if you’re a top prospect.
Franchises could start having police experts examine the tattoos of potential players for a possible gang affiliation, according to CBS Sports report. This buzz comes in the wake of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez’s first-degree murder charge – there’s concern that Hernandez could have gang-related tattoos.
Many NFL players have tattoos and some have scores of them. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose jersey is the top seller in the league, is covered with ink, but most of those are bible verses and related to religion.
Hernandez is facing charges in Massachusetts and the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office said earlier this month that the fallen star’s tattoos are not related to gangs. Hernandez has also denied being involved with any gangs.
“We always take extra precautions,” Sheriff Thomas Hodgson told the Boston Herald. We don’t have any definite issues at this point, but we’re still being very cautious.”
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to charges in the execution-style shooting death of an associate, Odin Lloyd. Hernandez’s legal team has called the case against him circumstantial. He’s currently being held at a county jail.