Ben Volin On Gresh & Zo: Look At Rolling Stone With 'Critical Eye'
BOSTON (CBS) - Rolling Stone released their article on Aaron Hernandez on Wednesday, giving an in-depth look into the troubled life of the former Patriots' tight end.
The article revealed details of Hernadnez's drug use, history with violence, and his interactions with the Patriots months before the shooting of death Odin Lloyd.
But while many of the details in the article are believable, the Boston Globe's Ben Volin warns readers to look at the article with a "critical eye."
"I wanted to review the story, because I think a lot of people were taking it as gospel and I think it's important to look at it with a critical eye, and not take everything at face value," Volin said on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Thursday. "Especially a story where a lot of the sourcing is un-named sourcing and anonymous sourcing."
"There was a lot in there that I thought was very believable; the stuff about Hernandez being a heavy drug user and using PCP," said Volin. "He could get away with that pretty easily with the NFL's drug policy. You only get tested for street drugs once a year, so once you pass that test you're free to use as many street drugs as you want more or less."
Volin said it's no surprise that Hernandez was carrying a gun with him at all times given his past, and he has also confirmed the tight end took a trip to Indianapolis to talk with head coach Bill Belichick during the NFL Draft combine.
But as for the article's claim that Hernandez had one last chance with the Patriots, Volin warns that Rolling Stone greatly exaggerated that possibility.
"They totally oversold it. He was down to his last chance and they were going to cut him, that's what they made it sound like. Then we hear Belichick threatened to trade or cut him after the season, which to me sounds like a pretty empty threat. If you're at your wits end with someone you don't keep him around for a year," said Volin. "It goes back to why it's important to read these with a critical eye; a place like Rolling Stone isn't dealing with the Patriots every day, they want to parachute in and write a salacious story to attract eyeballs and get people buy it at the newsstands."
Read: Rolling Stone Author Thinks Hernandez Will Be Back In NFL In 3-4 Years
"They're puffing it up to make it a more salacious story, and this notion they were going to cut him, there were all kinds of financial penalties that would have been involved," he said. "When the kid is charged with murder you cut him no questions asked, but the notion if he screwed up one more time off the field they would get cut him after the season is a completely empty threat and raised my eyebrows a bit."
Volin also goes into the Patriots security department, how much owner Robert Kraft knew about Hernandez, and if Kraft and Belichick may find themselves on the witness stand when Hernandez's trial begins:
