This morning around 10:20am, the New England Patriots announce that they had released TE Aaron Hernandez. Rather than more conventional means of communication in the sports world, such as a press conference or posting it on the team’s website, the Patriots conveyed their message in less than 140 words via their Twitter account.
The tweet came after reports from earlier this morning that Hernandez was arrested and seen in handcuffs being escorted from his. For those who haven’t been following the Hernandez story, there are allegations that Hernandez took part in the homicide of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semipro football player, whose body was found not far from Hernandez’s home on June 17th. Since then, social media platforms have been buzzing with details regarding the story.
The New England #Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 26, 2013
This is a big shocker, as Hernandez was set to be the Patriots’ starting tight end due to starting tight end Rob Gronkowski’s injury. Despite Gronkowski’s presence, Hernandez still saw his fair share of playing time, and is considered to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL. However, the Patriots seem to want to keep their hands clean and want nothing to do with the homicide investigation connected to their former player. This is a good move by the Patriots.
Although the Pats went from having two amazing tight ends to having zero, they definitely still have options. Jake Ballard, who played last year when Gronkowski and Hernandez were injured, will definitely have to step it up, as he is the obvious choice to fill the open tight end position. However, newly signed Tim Tebow may also be an option. Many people are saying that the Patriots may be better off converting Tebow from a quarterback into a tight end, due to his physique and ability to run with the ball, and even block. Regardless of who the Patriots go with, this is definitely a huge hit to the team.
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