Jones: Patriots Not Only Drafted A Bad Guy, But Committed To Him Long Term
BOSTON (CBS) - On Wednesday night, 98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones discussed the guilty verdict of former NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez in the death of Odin Lloyd and how it affects the Patriots' reputation.
Aaron Hernandez was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a Bristol County courthouse Wednesday morning, and he will spend the rest of his life in prison. He is currently being held at the MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole, just miles away from nearby Gillette Stadium.
Jones admits he hasn't been following the trial too closely, but applauds the jurors for coming to the right verdict. With that being said, he believes this does no good for the Patriots.
"For the Patriots organization, you look at them and say they didn't just bring in a now-convicted murderer and they didn't just draft a bad guy, but they committed to him long term. I think people need a reminder: they didn't just draft a bad guy. They brought him in here and he was productive on the football field, and lord knows everything that was going off the football field around this guy, and then they decided to commit to him long term," Jones said.
Considered a first round talent, Hernandez slipped to the fourth round due to character concerns where he was eventually selected by New England in the 2010 NFL Draft.
After two productive seasons catching passes for Tom Brady, Hernandez signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots on August 27, 2012. Just one month prior, two men, Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, were shot to death in their car as they waited at a red light in Boston's South End neighborhood. Hernandez is the alleged killer in that crime.
"They felt that he was a good enough guy or worth a contract extension. I just think people need a reminder of that because today is not a good day for the Patriots organization. This is not only a convicted murderer that they didn't only draft, but they committed to long term."
Owner Robert Kraft's testimony has been identified as one of the key pieces of evidence against Hernandez, which Rich Keefe doesn't think is a good look.
"With all the different bad guys in the league, how many NFL owners have to take the stand in a murder trial? It's insane," Keefe added.
Jones holds the Patriots accountable for not doing their due diligence on a problem player like Hernandez, who was certainly no angel before or after he was drafted into the NFL.
"I'm not saying that they knew he was a murderer, but they had to know he was a bad guy off the field. They had to or they should have known that he was not up to any good off the field, yet they committed to him," Jones added.
Listen below for the full discussion: