Another American Tragedy…

(From Hero To Zero)

A young man was senselessly murdered execution-style last week in a community south of Boston and a famous football player has been held to account for the crime. Yes, we went through this before almost 20 years ago with O.J. but no matter how long, it still doesn’t make sense.

Aaron Hernandez is (was) a veteran tight end for the New England Patriots. He is a Connecticut native who attended the University of Florida. He had a great collegiate career with the Gators and was widely expected to be a first-round draft choice but fell to the Pats in the fourth round due to rumors of drug use and running around with questionable associates. Until last week, Hernandez appeared to have been a great success story as a kid who grew up in tough circumstances making it big-time under “The Patriot Way”.

On July 17^th, the victim, 27-year old Odin Lloyd, was executed in an industrial park not far from Aaron Hernandez’ mansion and his body was found the next day by someone jogging past the scene.  In a vehicle that was rented to Hernandez police discovered shell casings that were tied to the bullets that killed Lloyd. On Wednesday the 26^th, Hernandez was taken from his home by police handcuffed and arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Pictures of Hernandez making the “cuff & stuff” perp walk were splattered all over the digital and print media. Within 90 minutes, the ever-so “brand conscious” Patriots responded by releasing Hernandez. This was less than a year after the Patriots bestowed upon Hernandez a lengthy contract extension with over $12 million in guaranteed money.

In the days following the murder, media reports surfaced that Hernandez smashed his home security system and cell phone as well as hastily hiring a cleaning crew to clean up something in his home. He elected not to cooperate with the police and surrounded himself with high-priced legal talent as is his right. Whether these things suggest guilt is irrelevant. Now that he has been arrested, he is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty and the wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow.

Additionally, it was reported last week that Hernandez was civilly sued in Florida for allegedly shooting a convicted drug dealer in the face with a gun at a Florida "club" in February. Why were no criminal charges filed at that time? Because the victim refused to cooperate with the police. You see, in that world, nobody wants to be a "snitch".

With a media circus following Hernandez’ every move, one got the feeling that the noose of law enforcement was drawing tighter and tighter around his neck. The local district court sealed all of the records in a prudent move to protect the evidence from a media free-for-all and law enforcement operated patiently and meticulously to build a case.

Now that Hernandez was in custody and no longer a member of the team, media pundits and fans on message boards focused their concern on how Hernandez’ absence from the lineup would affect the offense. Who cares? A YOUNG MAN IS DEAD and people are more concerned with the “X’s” and “O’s” of a game?  Are you kidding? There’s a time to move on from this, sure, but at least allow the defendant to make his first appearance in court before discussing his possible replacement in the lineup.  Have a little respect for the victim’s family before considering the salary cap implications of releasing Hernandez.  (For the record, his cap charge for ’13 will be $4.073 million and $8.637 million for ’14).

At arraignment, Hernandez was charged with first degree murder and five other related firearm offenses. The Assistant District Attorney William McCauley outlined the facts and it was obvious that the law enforcement authorities did an incredible job putting the puzzle pieces together in only eight days.  Judge O’Shea ordered Hernandez to be held without bail. The matter will now go before the Grand Jury in Bristol County where he’ll be indicted. He’ll now be a “Guest of the Commonwealth” until such time as the case comes to trial.  The facts as outlined by the ADA indicate that we’re not dealing with criminal masterminds… it was amateur hour all the way.

What sort of impulse drives someone who has amassed significant wealth to kill?  That’s the million dollar question. If it were not for the fact that someone was murdered, the sheer incompetence of the killers would be laughable. It is rumored that Hernandez has been affiliated with a notorious criminal gang since his school days. This could be a situation in which Hernandez placed his gang loyalties and lifestyle ahead of his teammates, fiancée and baby daughter. If so, then he’s a bigger loser than we thought. The prosecutor stated that Hernandez "orchestrated the crime from the beginning".

It is the prosecution's theory that Hernandez and the victim got into some sort of argument/altercation at a "club" in Boston two nights earlier. The victim was then lured from his apartment in Dorchester in the early morning hours, driven to North Attelboro where he was executed gangland style by either Hernandez or an associate.

It’s not as if this is exactly something new to the football world. Ray Lewis was originally charged with murder in an incident in Atlanta years ago before pleading out to obstruction of justice and that created a permanent stain on his legacy. When Sean Taylor was murdered in his home in 2007, we were totally stunned. When the Bengals' Chris Henry was killed in a car accident after an argument with his girlfriend in 2009, we raised red flags. When Jovan Belcher murdered the mother of his child before taking his own life last fall, we raised more red flags. When the Cowboys' Josh Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter stemming from a late night crash resulting in death of teammate Jerry Brown last fall, we raised even more red flags. There were also incidents too numerous to mention involving NFL players that did not result in death. Adam "Pacman" Jones is one of the NFL's serial violent offenders yet because his victims have only been maimed, he finds his way into the starting lineup on Sundays in the fall.

While football players have never been considered angelic (save for Tim Tebow), there has never been an epidemic of violent crimes associated with football players until recently. What is it going to take for all of this madness to stop? This appalling lack of respect for human life throughout society is so depressing to witness day after day. Because Hernandez is a high-profile figure makes his fall from grace seem more tragic -- but save your sentiment for the victim.

The NFL conducts an annual rookie symposium to counsel young players to the dangers that can be associated with having too much money too soon but it doesn't seem to be having a full effect as incidents such as occurred with Hernandez seem to happen like clockwork. Three years ago, Hernandez was one of those rookies in attendance. There isn't a week that goes by when an NFL player is arrested for boorish behavior -- or worse. On the same day that Hernandez was taken into custody, a Cleveland Browns' rookie was arrested for attempted murder.

The fact that many football fans seem to be more concerned over the loss of Hernandez' from the starting lineup paints a pretty sorry picture of where we are at the moment. Someone was taken out back and murdered like a dog, people. Matters on the football field will take care of themselves.  Some others contend that Hernandez simply could not overcome the tough environment from which he came. Spare us that drivel. Millions of people have made their way out of humble/tough backgrounds without having  to resort to a life of crime. There is zero sympathy around here for an "alleged" murderer and a certified thug.

God blessed Hernandez with a gift and he threw it all away. Even if he is somehow acquitted of the murder charge, there would be few, if any, teams willing to take on a player with that sort of baggage. The Patriots rewarded his efforts on the field by giving him a $40 million dollar extension and he flushed it away trying to be a "playa". He and his children's children's children were financially set for life. All he had to do was show up, work hard and do his job. Yet that didn't seem to be enough for Hernandez. It appears that he had to remain "true" to the "gang/street culture" from whence he came. There appeared to be the usual retinue of hangers-on associated with Hernandez, who, like many of his contemporaries, was unable to move on to a secure new life without divorcing himself from the old. What a chump.

Do you remember the famous line from "A Bronx Tale"?

"There's nothing worse than wasted talent..."