Aaron Hernandez Over & Out

[edjames]

A sad and tragic tale of a successful sports career ending in murder and suicide. A young talented football player with a $40 million dollar contract, ended because he was in fear of being outed. Married with a young daughter and a prison gay lover and high school boyfriend for many years, the movie should not be far behind!

 

From the NYPost website:

 

Aaron Hernandez may have murdered a former pal to protect his most guarded secret — that he was bisexual, a new report says.

 

The muscle-bound former New England Patriots tight end allegedly had a longtime male lover, a friend from high school, and left behind a suicide note this week addressed to a gay jailhouse lover, Newsweek said.

 

The suicide note was one of three found in Hernandez’s cell after he hanged himself Wednesday — the other two were to his fiancée and to his 4-year-old daughter.

 

Hernandez, 27, had been serving life without parole in a Massachusetts prison for the 2013 shooting murder of his former pal, semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, a slaying that ended Hernandez’s promising career less than a year into a $40 million contract extension.

 

Why Hernandez threw everything away to leave his friend riddled with six bullets in the gravel of a suburban Boston industrial park has remained a mystery, even after an extensive 2015 trial.

 

Cops long believed that Lloyd had incriminating information on Hernandez that the player didn’t want to get out.

 

Law-enforcement sources told the Boston Globe shortly after the player’s arrest that Hernandez feared Lloyd would rat him out in a previous double murder in 2012 — for which he was acquitted last week, just five days before the suicide.

 

Prosecutors only alluded at trial that Lloyd had said something to Hernandez just before his murder that destroyed his trust. A motive was never firmly established, something his lawyers noted in closing arguments.

 

But multiple law-enforcement officials directly involved in the Lloyd murder case now believe that the ex-pal knew about Hernandez’s bisexuality and the Patriots player feared it would be made public, Newsweek said.

 

Lloyd “had information the football star did not want out — that he was bisexual,” the mag said.

 

A co-defendant in Lloyd’s murder privately confirmed to detectives that Lloyd knew Hernandez’s secret, Newsweek reported.

 

Co-defendant Ernest Wallace told cops that Lloyd had slurred Hernandez as a “schmoocher,” or someone who is gay, before his death, the report said.

 

Wallace himself referred to Hernandez as a “limp wrist” during a taped jailhouse visit with the former player’s incarcerated cousin, the report said.

 

Hernandez’s alleged longtime male lover was also interviewed extensively by investigators after Lloyd’s murder and was forced to testify before a grand jury, Newsweek reported.

 

Hernandez moved “a large amount of money” into the lover’s bank account shortly before his arrest, Newsweek reported.

 

The ex-player’s prison boyfriend “is now on 24/7 suicide watch,” Newsweek said.

 

Hernandez was so intent on killing himself that he jammed cardboard into the frame of his cell door to thwart guards rushing to aid him — and poured liquid soap on the floor of his cell so he’d have no traction to struggle free of his bedsheet noose if he lost his nerve.

 

Lawyers for the Hernandez estate said they are mulling a negligence suit against Massachusetts corrections officials.

[+ ArVaGuy]

I always thought there was a little sugar in his tank.

[kewtex]

If true, the story is a sad commentary on how some gay and bisexual men still feel the need to secret their feelings.

 

We have miles to go before we sleep.

[bostonman]

One of the local sports radio stations in Boston was covering this issue on Wednesday morning -- an ex-criminal close to Hernandez who would occasionally call into the morning show called to suggest that the suicide was (not may have been, but most probably was) due to his fear of being outed. At that time, even the hosts of the show weren't convinced (I thought it might be a stretch too), but maybe it was the case after all?

 

I feel little to no sympathy for Hernandez' actions, but I do lament that he felt he had to hide his feelings for men so much that it may have not only driven him to murder, but to suicide as well. A real loss all around.

[+ Kman]

One of the local sports radio stations in Boston was covering this issue on Wednesday morning -- an ex-criminal close to Hernandez who would occasionally call into the morning show called to suggest that the suicide was (not may have been, but most probably was) due to his fear of being outed. At that time, even the hosts of the show weren't convinced (I thought it might be a stretch too), but maybe it was the case after all?

 

I feel little to no sympathy for Hernandez' actions, but I do lament that he felt he had to hide his feelings for men so much that it may have not only driven him to murder, but to suicide as well. A real loss all around.

 

As good of an athlete as he was, and probably a nice guy to be around he still goes down as a coward for both the murder and suicide. Five of my friends have committed suicide and it was all out of fear to face what was going to happen or what was happening to them. That is all a part of life and unfortunately they never found a way to cope.

[MassageDrew]

It is truly a sad story for our community. But as progressive as the US is (or that's what most would like to think) we're still judged others' belief in the bible. They fear what they cannot understand. If it's not within their idea of the norm then it must be immoral. I feel bad for Hernandez to gave to resort to suicide and I fear for his lover as well. The holier-than-thou community will crucify him for it. It is bad enough for regular people to deal with this. I can only imagine how bad it is whrn you're in the spotlight.

[Kippy]

Imagine what a profound effect Aaron could have had on society and American culture if he could have grappled with these realities about his sexuality (assuming they are true) and turned them into opportunities rather than murder and suicide. His influence to do good in the world of sports would have been beyond measure! There are many who write him off as a violent thug but there always seemed to be a hiding light in this kid that just didn't get nurtured the proper way. Opportunity lost beyond measure and may he have peace at last.

 

Kipp

Edited April 23, 2017 by Kippy

[BaronArtz]

Too bad ... he looked really hot. I would have hired him.

[+ Kman]

It is truly a sad story for our community. But as progressive as the US is (or that's what most would like to think) we're still judged others' belief in the bible. They fear what they cannot understand. If it's not within their idea of the norm then it must be immoral. I feel bad for Hernandez to gave to resort to suicide and I fear for his lover as well. The holier-than-thou community will crucify him for it. It is bad enough for regular people to deal with this. I can only imagine how bad it is whrn you're in the spotlight.

 

Let me preface this by saying that I am a christian and I have lived as a gay man for awhile now and I keep going back and forth with it. I do know though that God has a better life for than what I am living now....and I know each of you have at least tried leaving homosexuality

 

First, there is no mention of anyone judging him...that was his own fear he had no idea how anyone would react..and plenty of people outside of Christianity would say there is something wrong with Christianity, homosexuality was in the DSM for many years as sexual disorder and we are not stopping to think of why maybe it was in there in the first place and why was it taken out? The bible does say very plainly that homosexuality is a sin it would be pretty tough to mess that up.

 

It is very true that Christianity in large part has been rather ambivalent in it's relationship with the homosexual community, some denominations will say its ok, others would condemn you to hell on the spot...neither of which are correct. I do know that Christ would have a better way for all of us to live (homosexual or not) better way to do relationships, and a better way overall to do life..lesson #1 to learn is that life is not about you...

[MassageDrew]

Let me preface this by saying that I am a christian and I have lived as a gay man for awhile now and I keep going back and forth with it. I do know though that God has a better life for than what I am living now....and I know each of you have at least tried leaving homosexuality

 

First, there is no mention of anyone judging him...that was his own fear he had no idea how anyone would react..and plenty of people outside of Christianity would say there is something wrong with Christianity, homosexuality was in the DSM for many years as sexual disorder and we are not stopping to think of why maybe it was in there in the first place and why was it taken out? The bible does say very plainly that homosexuality is a sin it would be pretty tough to mess that up.

 

It is very true that Christianity in large part has been rather ambivalent in it's relationship with the homosexual community, some denominations will say its ok, others would condemn you to hell on the spot...neither of which are correct. I do know that Christ would have a better way for all of us to live (homosexual or not) better way to do relationships, and a better way overall to do life..lesson #1 to learn is that life is not about you...

 

Trust me, I know all about Catholicism. I'm a Filipino. Can't get anymore Catholic than that. That's why I question all the Bible's teaching and everything about the religion. Is there a God? Possibly. There maybe a higher being that created it all.

[+ WmClarke]

....and I know each of you have at least tried leaving homosexuality

Bullshit.

[+ Gar1eth]

A couple of things to note

 

1). I tried not acting on being gay. I'm not sure that qualifies as leaving. I did do some minor investigating into groups that reportedly could turn you straight. But I doubted they would work with me, so I never looked at them seriously.

 

2) I'm not claiming all gay men are like that. I had a former therapist who said he knew he was gay early on and was always happy he was gay. I'm not sure I believed him. But maybe he was telling me the exact truth.

 

3). We still don't know for sure that Aaron Hernandez was either bisexual or actually more gay-but hiding. Yes, he reportedly had a gay prison lover. But it's only rumors at this point that he had a longtime male lover outside prison. And prison is an unusual situation. Isn't it known that men and women who might not ever have looked at a same sex pairing outside can, due to the extreme situation, find same sex partners? Of course there's no way to know if it could happen to a majority of people in a prison situation or whether these people actually were gay/bisexual when not in prison but weren't expressing that side of themselves.

 

4) At least one recent juror said that she didn't believe Aaron was innocent of the double murder but doesn't believe the prosecution proved their case of 1st degree murder.

 

So while there but for the Grace of G-d might go any of us, remember that Aaron might have killed-been involved with three murders before saying what a good fellow he was.

 

But if all of this occurred because he was trying to prevent being outed, then yes, it's horrible.

 

Gman

[instudiocity]

Trust me, I know all about Catholicism. I'm a Filipino. Can't get anymore Catholic than that. That's why I question all the Bible's teaching and everything about the religion. Is there a God? Possibly. There maybe a higher being that created it all.

Me thinks Catholicism is a religion unto its on without necessarily invoke the God of the Bible.

[big-n-tall]

The bible does say very plainly that homosexuality is a sin it would be pretty tough to mess that up.

 

No knock on your faith, but I always likened the Bible to a game of telephone. You know one kid says something to the next kid, the next kid repeats it, and so it goes down the line of kids until it reaches the end. Often times the message is different from what it was from the start... lost in translation and all that.

 

The bible has been translated, rewritten, and edited by various people. The original message has been altered methinks. I believe the bible should be a guide and way to possibly help keep the faith, but not to be taken literally.

 

But that's just me.

[BabyBoomer]

This is not the proper forum to discuss religion etc.

 

Please stay on topic.

 

~Boomer ~

[TUOT89]

No knock on your faith, but I always likened the Bible to a game of telephone. You know one kid says something to the next kid, the next kid repeats it, and so it goes down the line of kids until it reaches the end. Often times the message is different from what it was from the start... lost in translation and all that.

 

The bible has been translated, rewritten, and edited by various people. The original message has been altered methinks. I believe the bible should be a guide and way to possibly help keep the faith, but not to be taken literally.

 

But that's just me.

 

Another man whose name also had to a's, Isaac Newton thought that the doctrine of the trinity was the result of a power play between two church fathers. In order to establish the doctrine, the Church (under the direction of Athanasius) changed the Gospel of John to add the reference to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The reference was not in the pre-4th-century Bible.

 

For the record, Newton also loved a man (Fatio). Though it did not lead him to murder, it may have led to a nervous breakdown.

[Rocky93]

Trust me, I know all about Catholicism. I'm a Filipino. Can't get anymore Catholic than that. That's why I question all the Bible's teaching and everything about the religion. Is there a God? Possibly. There maybe a higher being that created it all.

 

Filipino's are the Italians of Asia!

[maninsoma]

Bullshit.

 

+1. I came out when I was in high school in the 1970s in a small town. I had a difficult time accepting I was gay because I knew of society's general negative attitude towards homosexuality, but I never tried to "leave homosexuality." I even refused to go to the prom with a female friend (who turned out to be a lesbian) and refused to give a New Year's Eve kiss to a young woman during my freshman year at college because, from a very young age, I knew that I never wanted to pretend to be heterosexual.

Edited April 27, 2017 by maninsoma

[LADoug1]

Bullshit.

 

+1

[JayCeeKy]

A lot of people don't understand the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality. The Catholic Church, unlike the fundamentalists of the Protestant churches, does not base its teachings on sexuality on the bible. The Catholic Church has never been a fundamentalist church, that is, has never taken the bible literally. For a good summary of this, see Daniel Helminiak's "What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality." Daniel is a former priest and has his Ph.D. in scripture.

 

http://www.visionsofdaniel.net/paperSummaryOfWhatBibleReallySays.htm

 

The Catholic Church bases its teaching on Natural Law - on Aristotelian teleology (what is the purpose of a thing?). The Church teaches that the purpose of sexuality is the "procreation and education of children." The Second Vatican Council added a second purpose of sex: the love and mutual support of husband and wife. So, anything outside of the sexual act between husband and wife (in marriage!) is considered gravely sinful b/c it does not conform to the laws of nature. This includes masturbation, homosexuality, adultery, you name it - if it doesn't produce kids, it's a no-no.

 

Several modern Catholic moral theologians have argued that viewing sexuality only in terms of having babies is a very restricting and animalistic view of sexuality. They have argued that sexuality within marriage is the ideal, but is not an absolute. They argue that, if there is one thing that Jesus fought against, it was legalism and absolutism. Some older Catholics may remember Fr. Charles Curran who lost his job at a Catholic university back in the '70's for his book that advocated an acceptance of other forms of sexuality (he asked: does the Catholic Church really think that teens commit a mortal sin by masturbating?).

 

"Curran contended in 1971 that homosexual acts, in the context of a committed relationship, fell short of the ideal but were to be considered good for homosexual people; he stated that "I had come to accept the moral legitimacy of a union of two gay men or lesbians." However, he has since recognized shortcomings in this argument, and in 1992, though without explicitly stating a change of position, he said that "the official hierarchical Roman Catholic teaching should accept the moral value and goodness" of same-sex relationships, not excepting those that include sex."

 

So, who speaks for the church? Pope Francis said a couple of years ago: "If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?"

 

Roma locuta; causa finita est

[+ ArVaGuy]

This is not the proper forum to discuss religion etc.

 

Please stay on topic.

 

~Boomer ~

 

AMEN!!!

 

This thread is seriously off topic discussing the doctrine of the Roman Catholic religion.

[Jose305]

I doesn't matter if he was a heavily closeted Latino sports player - I'm sure there's many more like him - but his actions are of a stone cold killer period

[mike carey]

There is a distinction that is being lost here. Nothing that has been said seeks to excuse Hernandez' actions, either murder or suicide. What it does, is seek to explain what he did. LGBTI people are more likely than the rest of the community to take their own lives. The only way that society at large, or our community can reduce its prevalence is to understand what drives people to seek a permanent solution to a temporary problem and try to ameliorate those drivers.

[Nvr2Thick]

There is a distinction that is being lost here. Nothing that has been said seeks to excuse Hernandez' actions, either murder or suicide. What it does, is seek to explain what he did. LGBTI people are more likely than the rest of the community to take their own lives. The only way that society at large, or our community can reduce its prevalence is to understand what drives people to seek a permanent solution to a temporary problem and try to ameliorate those drivers.

 

Agreed. Identifying a possible motive is very different than providing an excuse.

 

If any of this is true I can begin to empathize with Hernandez's situation in prison. A wealthy person, even a public figure, can take steps to insulate himself and his lifestyle. Many of us have changed aspects of our life in order to live with our sexuality in a disapproving society. Some of us pick up and move, change careers, distance ourselves from family, take on new friends, etc. Others of us were able to create deceptions through discreet living or relationships with women. The punishment for Hernandez's crimes have stripped him of career, friends, wealth, and freedom. If he really didn't want his sexuality to become common knowledge he'd now be facing scrutiny while having almost no control over his own life, and no ability to either create a situation where he could embrace it on his own terms or cover it up.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Nvr2Thick

[+ WilliamM]

The punishment for Hernandez's crimes have stripped him of career, friends, wealth, and freedom.

 

According to long article in Sports Illustrated, even Aaron's brother had to move on with own life. The article was published before Aaron Hernandez's suicide. Dennis, Jr's main point was that his younger brother's notoriety made it impossible to get a job, date... The brothers were still very close.

 

Dennis, Jr. told the Sports Illustrated reporter that he warned Aaron many times about his choice of 'friends.' He has a new roofing company in Texas and their mother plans to move to Texas to help with paper work. So his visits with Aaron in prison in Massachusetts would be less frequent.