Recently charged with murder, several details surrounding the past of Aaron Hernandez have come to light, perhaps explaining why the former Patriots tight end’s off-the-field life began to spiral out of control in recent years.
According to a story in The Daily Beast, Hernandez had a difficult childhood growing up, which included losing his father after routine hernia surgery, at age 16.
He had been extremely close with his dad, and his mother Terri said Aaron was “very, very angry” and that “the shock of losing his dad, there was so much anger.”
As if that weren’t bad enough, he soon learned of his mother’s struggles, getting abused and stabbed by her new husband.
In 2010, Terri who was married to ex-con Jeffrey Cummings, was stabbed by Cummings just days before Aaron signed a four-year contract with the Patriots. He had recently failed a drug test but the Patriots took a chance on him anyway.
Having lost his father and hearing about his mother’s suffering didn’t sit well with Hernandez, according to the article. He had numerous run-ins with the law, including disputes with his girlfriend, who called the police several times after he had been drinking and became belligerent, even cutting his hand while punching a window.
Hernandez was charged with murdering Odin Lloyd and was also named a suspect in another murder case in Boston. He was named in a suit for allegedly shooting a Florida man in the face and in another incident, punched a bartender while playing at Florida before Tim Tebow intervened.
The Patriots released the former Pro Bowler hours after his arrest in June and he is currently being held in prison without bail.