The New England Patriots made the tough decision to release Aaron Hernandez following his arrest for his connection to a murder and now that he has been cut, the team has to deal with a $7 million cap hit heading into next year.
According to ESPN.com, the decision was a collaborative one between Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick and now the team will move forward without the tight end. Chris Mortensen on ESPN Radio said on Wednesday that the decision to release Hernandez came from owner Robert Kraft and that Belichick may have disagreed, but ultimately he went along with it, as it was in the best interest of the team.
The Patriots are known to try and avoid drama and now the team has done that by releasing Hernandez, who the team recently gave a $40 million contract extension. The murder involved 27-year-old victim Odin Lloyd and Hernandez is connected to him through his girlfriend, whose sister was dating Lloyd. Hernandez had his house searched and the charges will be coming once he appears in court and is arraigned.
The charges are likely for obstruction of justice, but sources said to "expect the worse" as he could end up being charged in the crime overall. The NFL and the Patriots released statements and Hernandez was taken from his home by police before 9 AM in a white shirt and red shorts. Sources said that the charges could end up worse than initially expected and the team now will have a $2.5 million charge for the portion of his $12.5 million signing bonus, paid last year and all together it could end up being over $8 million total.
The team decided to make the move despite the cap issues and that says a lot about the case and the player, as now they may feel that giving him the extension was a bad move. The team praised Hernandez when they gave him the extension and now his past adds more to the situation, as he previously had drug and gang issues and a checkered background. The Patriots will now move on without Hernandez.
