It’s tough to blame one brilliant coach for trusting his other brilliant coach friend.
But ultimately, that trust between Bill Belichick and Urban Meyer landed now-convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez in New England, former Patriots senior football adviser Floyd Reese recently told MMQB.com.
Hernandez had a history of failed drug tests, but rumblings of violent tendencies and deeper troubles abounded at the University of Florida, despite the star tight end never actually being convicted of a crime. Meyer, who coached the tight end at Florida, apparently believed Hernandez would grow up when he hit the NFL.
“We knew he had some issues prior,” Reese told MMQB writer Greg Bedard. “Urban Meyer and Bill (Belichick) were very, very close, and I think Urban convinced Bill that, you know, that these things weren’t going to be an issue. Of course, after that (rookie contract), after he signed (his $40 million contract extension), things kind of went awry.”
Hindsight is 20/20, and some surely will blame Belichick for taking such a big risk on a player with a troubling past. But it’s unfair to expect Belichick to have been able to predict Hernandez someday would be a murderer.
Still, Belichick arguably is best known for his calculated risks, frequently reaping the rewards of his value-based roster management. In this instance, that might have been his downfall.
“There were some things that went on. We all knew about it,” Reese said. “It was just from our standpoint, we were getting a first-round talent in the fourth round under a contract that was going to keep him in line or it wasn’t going to cost us a penny.”
h/t to CBS Boston
Thumbnail image via Twitter/@Every3Weekly
