June 26, 2013: New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is arrested for murder in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, ending what had been a promising pro football career.
Aaron Josef Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut -- also the hometown of ESPN, which certainly gave him lots of coverage. To paraphrase baseball star Mickey Rivers, he had a Hebrew first name, a German middle name, and a Spanish last name, so it's no wonder he was all mixed up.
An All-American tight end at the University of Florida, he helped them win the 2009 National Championship. He became one of the few New England natives to play well for the New England Patriots. In 3 seasons, 2010 to 2012, he caught 175 passes for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns, and scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI, although the Giants beat the Patriots. The following season, he helped the Pats reach the AFC Championship Game.
He had achieved all this before his 24th birthday. At the time, he seemed like he was on his way to a really good career.
He never played another game. What few people knew was, he already had a criminal history. Both of his parents had run-ins with the law. He had already gotten into a bar fight at Florida. On June 17, 2013, he shot and killed his friend Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, the town about halfway between Foxboro and Providence where they both lived. Hernandez was arrested on June 26, and, as soon as Patriots management found out, they released him, regardless of his performance or his talent.
He never played another game. What few people knew was, he already had a criminal history. Both of his parents had run-ins with the law. He had already gotten into a bar fight at Florida. On June 17, 2013, he shot and killed his friend Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, the town about halfway between Foxboro and Providence where they both lived. Hernandez was arrested on June 26, and, as soon as Patriots management found out, they released him, regardless of his performance or his talent.
He was convicted 2 years later. He was then charged with another murder, but was acquitted with all charges from that case except a gun charge. This happened with a 3rd shooting, although this time the victim survived. He was sentenced to life in prison.
On April 19, 2017, Hernandez hanged himself in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Leominster, Massachusetts. An autopsy showed his brain to have injuries consistent with CTE, stage 3 out of 4, "associated with aggressiveness, explosiveness, impulsivity, depression, memory loss and other cognitive changes." All of this matched what others had observed about him, including "keen insight and observational skills," but "gaps in memory that were highly unusual for a young person." He was said to have the kind of CTE symptoms one would expect to find in a former football player in his 60s. Aaron Hernandez was 27 years old.
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June 26, 2013 was a Wednesday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers, 8-5 at Yankee Stadium II. Andy Pettitte did not have a good start. Lyle Overbay and Ichiro Suzuki hit home runs. Derek Jeter did not play.
* The New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Shawn Marcum pitched 8 innings of 4-hit shutout ball.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 at Camden Yards, in Baltimore.
* The Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-2 at Nationals Park in Washington.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-0 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. R.A. Dickey pitched a 2-hit shutout.
* The Miami Marlins beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-3 at Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park) in Miami.
* The Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.
* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-4 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Alex Gordon singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres, 7-5 at Petco Park in San Diego. An error in the top of the 13th inning gave the Phillies the win.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the O.co Coliseum). A.J. Griffin pitched a 2-hit shutout.
* And the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Seattle Mariners, 4-2 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.
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