The former New England Patriot tight end, Aaron Hernandez, took his own life in his jail cell early Wednesday morning. In his lifetime, Hernandez was able to build his net worth of up to $8.2 million, but the majority is likely to be used to pay his remaining legal fees.
Hernandez started his career in 2007 when he was still building his name in college. Initially he was supposed to be under his home state college, UConn. However, he took a chance in Urban Meyer's Univesity of Florida where he built the foundation of his NFL career with the Gators. By the time he was a senior, Hernandez had already entered the 2010 NFL Draft, Coed reports.
In 2010, there were already rumors that Hernandez was heavily involved in criminal activities in Florida. Though his NFL stock took a dive, the New England Patriots took a chance on Hernandez and drafted him as their tight end.
Riding with the success of the Patriots, Hernandez broke out as an NFL star with 45 receptions for 563 yards and six touchdowns that same year. By 2012, Hernandez was already a consistent top tight end for the Patriots and signed a $12.5 million bonus by the start of the NFL season.
However, the following year signalled the end of his career when he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. When investigations had just begun, Hernandez was already losing his privileges one by one. The Patriots star tight end was restricted from entering team facilities, and after the arrest, things only got worse.
According to reports, Hernandez shot Lloyd in his chest and back, and later on tried to cover his crime by disposing Lloyd's phone and resetting his home security system. By the time Hernandez was arrested, the Patriots had removed the player from their roster and offered their fans compensation for trading in their jerseys and other merchandise of Hernandez.
In 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of Lloyd's murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Last Wednesday, Hernandez took his own life by hanging himself with his bedsheet, Sports Illustrated confirmed.
Although the former Patriots star player has passed away, it is not clear how much of his estate is left to go to his surviving family as his legal fees would have been substantial and there may still yet be ongoing legal proceedings even after his death.
