Photo Credit: Reuters
New England Patriots players were in the news a lot this year. There was a Super Bowl win which of course came with lots of controversy and then there was the announcement that former tight end Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first degree murder. Hernandez was initially charged with first degree murder in 2013 after his good friend Odin Lloyd was found dead near Hernandez’s home in Massachusetts.
Hernandez was convicted of first degree murder as well as weapons charges. The murder conviction carried a mandatory life sentence. No explanation was ever given for the events that led to the death of Lloyd. Patriots owner and Hernandez’s former boss Robert Kraft was even forced to testify in the case. It was the final chapter in Hernandez’s fall from grace. The $40 million tight end was once one of the best offensive weapons in the league. The legal trouble is not over for Hernandez who will likely still face charges stemming from a drive-by double murder in 2012.
