In the aftermath of ex-New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez's arrest for his involvement of the murder of his friend Odin Llyod, Patriots third-string quarterback Tim Tebow, who played at the University of Florida with Hernandez, said Friday that the murder charge was "heartbreaking and sad."

"It's just heartbreaking and sad and all my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were involved," he said. "I understand why you have to ask all the questions, that's part of doing your job. Part of mine is listening to instruction and we've been told not to talk about it."

Tebow then followed up with his stance on defending his former coach at Florida, Urban Meyer, who has come under scrutiny in the wake of Hernandez's murder charge.

"I feel like Coach Meyer is a great man, one of the best I've had the privilege of being around," he said. "He is someone that not only tries to win football games; he's someone who tries to invest in young men's lives and help young men grow. He cares very deeply about that. That's one of the reasons I'm so close to him and so proud of him."

Hernandez currently awaits his trial for his connection in the shooting death, but also could be facing murder charges in two different cases in two different counties.

He is also still under investigation in a 2012 double homicide, with a grand jury in Suffolk County, Mass., considering whether or not to indict him, according to Pro Football Talk. However, if it turns out that there's a connection between the two incidents, that could literally be a death sentence for Hernandez.

"If this was a murder of a witness or someone who knew something about the earlier murder, then this case becomes potentially a death penalty case and a federal proceeding," attorney Jack Furlong told Pro Football Talk. "Remember, Massachusetts does not have the death penalty. The United States government does. ... This case ... went across state lines repeatedly between Florida, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  It could go federal in a heartbeat."

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