After former Patriot, Aaron Hernandez, was charged with murder last week, one thing is for sure; despite being put on a pedestal and idolized by adoring fans, no one is untouchable.
Sure, there are countless examples of the wealthy and elite going unpunished for things you and I would be imprisoned for the rest of our lives over, but Hernandez is not one of those people. Let’s remember that in our legal system, he is innocent until proven guilty. However, in terms of public opinion, Hernandez’s actions before and after the incident are certainly not the actions of an innocent man.
It’s hard for regular folks to understand how anyone could do the unthinkable and be involved with a murder. It’s even more difficult to fathom when an elite professional athlete worth millions and millions of dollars, and a life many people fantasize over, could simply throw it all away.
These athletes are brought up coddled, told how wonderful they are and are given ‘extra’ chances that normal citizens do not receive. Now, Hernandez’ actions at the University of Florida and his personal life and ‘gangsta lifestyle’ will now be dissected with a fine tooth comb, but he isn’t the first NFL player to get a ‘reality check’ and disgrace himself by breaking the most heinous of laws.
Eric Naposki (NFL player-New England Patriots/Indianapolis Colts)
Eric Naposki was a hulking linebacker out of UConn and spent a couple of seasons with the Patriots and Colts in the late 80s before bouncing around the World League of Football. He is serving a life sentence for his involvement in murdering William McLaughlin. Naposki shot him so his love and William’s wife, Nanette, could collect on a life insurance policy that would pay out a million dollars.
Jovan Belcher (NFL player-Kansas City Chiefs)
Belcher, while in an argument with his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, fatally shot her. After realizing what he did, he cradled her and kissed her and apologized repeatedly to her before getting in his vehicle and driving to the Chiefs stadium. There, he got out of his vehicle and in front of his coach and general manager, thanked them before committing suicide.
Rae Carruth (NFL player-Carolina Panthers)
Carruth was a wide receiver for the Panthers in the late 90s. He threw it all away in 1999, when he hired a friend, Van Brett Watkins, to gun down Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with Carruth’s child. Adams died but the baby survived. Carruth fled and became a fugitive before being captured after hiding in the trunk of his car outside a hotel in Tennessee. He was sentenced to 18-24 years in prison.
Robert Rozier (NFL player-St. Louis Cardinals)
Despite only playing six NFL games in his career, Rozier’s story is too insane not to mention on this list. After being let go from the Cardinals on suspicion of drug abuse, Rozier joined ‘The Brotherhood,’ ran by Yahweh ben Yahweh.
Yahweh was a psycho and leader of a black supremacist religious group. In order to join, you had to murder a white person and return with a body part. Rozier was arrested for murder in 1986 and admitted to murdering seven white people to appease Yahweh. He took a reduced sentence in order to testify against his mentor. After serving 10 years in prison and being put in the witness protection program, Rozier committed a series of petty crimes that got him right back in prison.
O.J. Simpson (NFL player-Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers)
His downfall occurred well after he played his last NFL game, but his story is still relevant. In perhaps the biggest and most covered trial in the past 50 years, Simpson was accused of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Despite the infamous police chase on live television and evidence pointing to Simpson being the murderer, he was acquitted of all charges. He was found guilty in a civil trial of murders. Regardless of the verdict, he was seen as The Boogeyman in most circles and his trial was considered a travesty. However, his luck would run out in 2008, when he would be convicted of robbery and was sentenced to 33 years.
Aaron Hernandez’s career has now lead him to join a group of elite company. However, there won’t be a bust made of his head nor will he be given a ring while people celebrate his career. There will be only the Hall of Shame for this man whether he is found guilty or not.
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter@JoshuaCaudill85 or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports
Photo Credit: Getty
