Hernandez sad tale of demons that never left

By now, many of you have heard about the goings on with (now) former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. The 23-year-old fourth round selection out of Florida has been at the center of the sports world and beyond with his involvement in a recent homicide of 27-year-old Odin Taylor near Hernandez's mansion in Massachusetts.

It was believed that police were ready to serve Hernandez with an obstruction of justice arrest warrant, after the NFL phenom reportedly handed over evidence in the case that was willfully destroyed by either Hernandez or someone closely involved with the young star. Hernandez's cell phone - destroyed. His security system around his home - demolished. He even went as far as hiring a professional cleaning crew to come out to his home on Monday June 17.

All of that came crashing down on top of him on Wednesday, as police went into Hernandez's home and took him out in cuffs. The world saw a young man worth millions of dollars, a name synonymous with Patriots football fanatics and fantasy football aficionados across the country, being escorted across his own front lawn in handcuffs. An obstruction of justice arrest now seemed like a thing of the past.

It turns out they were right.

At roughly 1:30 CST, Hernandez stood in front of a Massachusetts judge as the counts were read off in front of him. Being presented to him were five counts of gun related offenses and one count of murder. The "M" word. How could this be?

As the charges were listed by the judge, Hernandez stood there with a cold stare, hardly flinching at the sound of his life slowly eroding away from in front of him. Taylor's mother stood in the court room, eventually leaving after not being able to handle the scene currently unfolding in front of her. Hernandez looked as though he was watching paint dry, turned into a man that lacked emotion, and if the evidence brought forth by the police department is indeed what happened, then his reaction might have fit the crime.

Courtesy: tracking.si.com

It is believed that Hernandez and Taylor were out on the town around the Boston area, when Hernandez became troubled that Taylor was associating with people that he had no longer been on good terms with. The two (and it's assumed two other individuals) left that night club and drove to an industrial park near Hernandez's home.

Taylor knew that something was wrong, as it has been recorded that he texted his sister upon leaving the night club and when she asked who he left with, all he could respond with was, "NFL." Cell phone tower records and text messages put Hernandez and Taylor in the area of the murder, where witnesses report hearing gun shots in the vicinity of where the murder took place.

Taylor died that night of an execution-like murder, taking five shots. Including a fatal blow to the back of the head. And it is believed Hernandez was the man with the finger on the trigger.

How could someone with so much to lose be caught up in such a messy situation? Hernandez was quickly becoming one of the faces of the New England organization. Alongside Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez was easily one of their most recognizable faces. Last year, the athletic tight end signed a 5-year, $41.1 million extension, a signal of his worth to owner Robert Kraft and the club.

It has been well-documented that Hernandez came to the Patriots in 2010 with baggage from Gainsville. The highly talented football star had troubles with marijuana and drug use while playing under Urban Meyer and came into the NFL Draft with concerns of gang affiliation during his time in college. It is unclear whether it began during his time growing up in Bristol, Conn., but one thing was for certain - Hernandez had demons.

Because of those issues, he slipped to the fourth round of the Draft, where Kraft and head coach Bill Bellichick took a flyer on the skilled big man in cohorts with their second round pick, Gronkowski. The two tight ends have proved to be nightmares for opposing defenses during their first two seasons, proving to be Brady's two biggest targets outside of former wideout Wes Welker.

Hernandez had one of the highest upsides of any tight end in the NFL.
Thanks to his size and speed, he was a matchup nightmare for defenses.

Hernandez had a support system around him in New England willing to help out the troubled star. His recent contract extension was a sign of trust from the team, a sign that the Patriots were comfortable that the once troubled youngster had turned a new leaf with what was essentially his hometown ball club.

Instead, he is now facing murder charges for what appears to be a punk-like execution of a former friend because he talked to someone he didn't want him talking to. If that is the case, Hernandez deserves the same cold, callous conclusion that was presented to Taylor on that fateful night. This isn't 1920s New York or Chicago, nor is it the old Roman empire days where you execute those that disobey your wishes.

However, more often than not, professional athletes that sign lucrative deals are given this sense of empowerment, like the rules don't apply to them. It is a sad tale that will continue to haunt those that find themselves in a higher realm of society than they are accustomed to. In no way was Hernandez a troubled child coming out of Bristol, nor was he a risk to human life at the University of Florida. But if anything should be learned coming out of this sad state of events, is that no matter your financial standing or your feeling of superiority - justice will find you.

Now he will have his day in court, and his lawyer has been quoted as being extremely certain that the prosecution's case is "weak," but all signs point to Hernandez throwing away a lucrative career and abandoning his brand new 7-month old daughter and fiancee. In the end, his demons were too much to overcome when all the cards were on the table.

Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of a young man who felt his need to show power was greater than the well-being of those around him.