Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has already been fired from his team and taken out of the upcoming EA Sports Madden football video game due to his arrest for the murder of Odin Lloyd and now his image has been taken out of another football-related area, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a photo of Hernandez has been removed from the museum that depicted the tight end scoring a touchdown back in 2010. The picture previously won the top prize in the annual photo contest from the Hall of Fame and showed him high-stepping while scoring a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers. Hernandez was considered one of the best young tight ends in the NFL and now his life and career may be over if he is found guilty in the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd.
The report says that the museum removed the picture after some people complained to the staff that it was inappropriate to keep it up. Hernandez was charged with first degree murder in the case and after he was arrested the Patriots released him and now he is facing life in prison for the execution style murder of Lloyd, who was a semi-professional football player. Lloyd was killed on June 17 and his body was discovered with five bullets in him and Hernandez was tied to the murder through shell casings and other evidence.
Hernandez was denied bail twice and he pleaded not guilty to the charges and he faces his next court appearance next week for a probable cause hearing. The vice president of communications for the Hall said that they felt it was best to take the picture down and it is another way of how the NFL and the football community have distanced themselves from the tight end. The team offered fans an exchange of Hernandez jerseys and the star also was taken out of the new Madden 25 games.
The Patriots now face a tough task of replacing Hernandez and now the past issues for the tight end has also come under focus, including his time while playing for the Florida Gators. The star was questioned in a shooting and he was also involved in a fight with a bouncer at a bar and failed a drug test while in school.