Getty Image
Today, lawyer Jose Baez released his long-awaited Aaron Hernandez biography “Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez,” which features fascinating new details about Hernandez’s life and final days leading up to his suicide.
Before its release Boston Globe’s Ben Volin was given an advanced copy and was able to leak certain excerpts from the book.
According to Volin there’s an interesting tidbit in the book about Hernandez requesting a trade from the team because he feared for his life.
Via Ben Volin Of The Boston Globe.
Hernandez’s troubles began in February 2013, a week after Alexander Bradley was shot in West Palm Beach, Fla. Hernandez was at a photo shoot in Phoenix, and Bradley repeatedly sent him threatening text messages. Hernandez contacted Belichick and set up a meeting in Foxborough, but Hernandez didn’t show. They then agreed to meet at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
At this meeting, Hernandez told Belichick he feared for his safety, and requested a trade, ideally to a team on the West Coast. Baez wrote, “Aaron told me the coach was incensed by the idea, and reminded Aaron that the team had made a significant investment in him.” Belichick told Hernandez to contact the Patriots’ director of security, and to get a new residence.
Baez is still upset with the organization for not honoring Hernandez’s trade request and for not having his client’s back when he was arrested back in 2013.
Baez remains upset at the Patriots for not taking Hernandez’s trade request seriously.
“Had they taken it seriously, how would things have worked out?” he said.
Baez blasts Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft for rushing to judgment and releasing Hernandez as soon as he was arrested.
“You’re innocent until proven guilty in this country, but not in that organization,” Baez said.
Apparently Baez tries to lawyer things up and attempts to exonerate Hernandez from the murders in his book by providing “alternative theories”.
Baez has an alternative theory for the 2013 incident when Hernandez supposedly shot Bradley in the face, costing Bradley his eye. Baez has an alternative theory for the 2007 shooting Hernandez was allegedly involved in in Gainesville, Fla.
Baez also casts plenty of doubt on the rumors of Hernandez being gay.
Baez also casts doubt on Hernandez committing suicide, saying it caught him and everyone completely off guard. Baez mentions the lack of a toxicology report. “What if Aaron was poisoned in prison or given a sedative and then a hanging was staged?” he wrote.
Baez does go on to talk about Hernandez’s relationship with Tom Brady and how the Patriots QB encouraged Hernandez to distance himself from the bad elements in his life.
But Baez wrote that Belichick liked Hernandez as a football player because Hernandez “did things exactly the way he wanted.” And Hernandez told Baez that he was close with quarterback Tom Brady.
“Brady always wanted to know where I was at all times,” Hernandez said, via Baez. “He would always tell me, ‘Stop hanging with those guys, get your [expletive] together.’ One of the things I regret is not listening to him more.”
Unfortunately, Hernandez never took Brady’s advice and the rest is history.