Why the Hernandez Murder Indictments are Good News for the Patriots

Hernandizing

 

CBS Sports, last January[Aaron] Hernandez filed grievances against the Patriots for over $6 million in salary, including a $3.25 million deferred payment of his signing bonus that is due March 31. The Patriots have a $7.5 million cap charge… If Hernandez is charged in connection to the July 2012 double murder in Boston — before him signing his extension — language in his contract should give the Patriots grounds to recoup his entire signing bonus and end his grievance. Hernandez’s contract contains a clause where he represents and warrants that there weren’t any existing circumstances when he signed his deal that would prevent his continued availability throughout the contract. Committing or participating in a double murder should meet this standard. There’s another clause explicitly stating that the Patriots wouldn’t have entered into the contract except for Hernandez’s representations. At a minimum, the Patriots would gain $3.25 million in cap space…

Just once it would be nice to have the Bruins reach the end of their season without Aaron Hernandez getting charged with homicide, but we’ve got to play the cards we’re dealt.  So to state the obvious, Hernandez’ victims, Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado, were both God’s children same as you and me and their deaths are a senseless tragedy.  And even though the indictments today won’t make them any less murdered, at least they result in three positives: One, that AHern is now that much closer to walking the Green Mile.  Two, that this should end any chance he has of ever lawyering up to collect his millions.  And third, the Patriots might no longer have to be punished for having a psycho killer on their team.  It’s one of the great injustices of the way the NFL is run that they’ve been suffering consequences for something one of their employees did.  Something they didn’t know about.  Something the police and the DA didn’t even know about.  And that they’ve done the right thing about, every step of the way from the moment they did find out.  That the league would charge them a cap hit for a murderer they cut immediately after his arrest is the stupidest thing in sports since the Celtics were taking a cap hit for Reggie Lewis like ten years after he was in the grave.  So today at least we can take some comfort in knowing the Pats were smart enough to include that “I Promise I Haven’t Committed Any Double Homicides That Will Keep Me From Playing Football” clause in his contract.  And that Hernandez and his agent were stupid enough to sign it.  Granted, it won’t bring back Abreu and Furtado, any more than Hernandez’ future Lethal Injection will.  But we must take our victories where we can find them.  And if the Patriots can get back $3.25 million – or more – they’re into this shitbag for and spend it on winning the championships he cost us, some small measure of justice will be done.  In the words of MLK, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  @JerryThornton1