Aaron Hernandez will have to testify after all

Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk:

After a jury convicted former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez of killing Odin Lloyd, Hernandez mouthed, “You’re wrong.” He later reportedly said that the jury had gotten in wrong. Eventually, Hernandez will get a chance to prove it.

The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination evaporates once the criminal process has ended. However, the criminal process won’t completely end until Hernandez’s appeal has resolved, since he potentially could get a new trial. It’s possible, if not likely, that the civil lawsuit will have to wait, if the goal will be to force Hernandez to tell his story.

Odin Lloyd's mother, Ursala Ward wasted little time in filing a lawsuit against former New England Patriots' TE Aaron Hernandez in blaming him for her son's death. The time for waiting is over. With an additional trial taking place in the double homicide at the nightclub in Boston, it is conceivable that Aaron Hernandez' funds could be gone.

This could mirror the O.J. Simpson trial where the NFL pension was protected, and those funds could not be touched. Fred Goldman sued O.J. Simpson in a civil trial for the death of his son, Ronald. While Fred won a $33.5 million settlement in damages, the Goldman family was only able to obtain $500,000 after the sale of Simpson's memorabilia was sold at auction. The Goldman family had hired superstar lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli to represent them in the civil suit.

The three year NFL career for Aaron Hernandez qualifies him for a pension. The attorneys for Ursala Ward may be looking to seize that income as well as all of the $40 million contract that Aaron Hernandez signed in 2013.

** Of note: The NFL pension plan has been widely criticized, especially when viewed in comparison to pension plans in other pro sports leagues. For example, a 10-year NFL veteran who retired in 1998 would receive $51,000 a year beginning at age 55. A retired Major League Baseball player with 10 years experience, by comparison, would be eligible for an $175,000 annual pension starting at age 62.

NYDaily News:

The sheriff who had former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez in custody for more than 18 months said Tuesday that he’s a master manipulator and will probably do fine in prison now that he has been sentenced to life for murder.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said Hernandez knows how to use his charm and manipulate better than anyone he has ever seen.

Aaron Hernandez will need all his charm to stop the all out blitz from Ursala Ward's legal representatives when he takes the stand in his own defense. I envision the legal team of Ursala Ward recording a team "sack." Once and for all, they will wipe that smirk off his face.



Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire. .

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