Aaron Hernandez went from an All-American college football player and NFL sensation to an All-American killer. See the life and mental health of Aaron Hernandez slowly fall over time. Having previous accusations of crimes and violence, how did Hernandez slip through the NFL and everyone’s eyes to prevent this from happening? Was fame the reason for Hernandez’s downfall or did underlying mental health issues lead to the downfall and death of Aaron Hernandez? Hernandez was born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut to Terri and Dennis Hernandez. Aaron had one sibling, his older brother Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Jr. commonly known as DJ or Jonathan. The boys' father pushed them very hard to succeed in sports. Dennis Hernandez was a strict …show more content…
There was an instance where Aaron was getting beaten so badly that Jonathan threatened to call the police. Their father handed him the phone so he could call the police, but his father threatened Jonathan saying “I’m going to beat you even harder, you and your brother, and they’re going to have to pull me off of you when they knock down the door” (Levenson). Another time Aaron's football coach reported that his father crossed the line when Aaron was caught drinking before a school dance and the next day he showed up to practice with a black eye. Both of the Hernandez parents had criminal records in the past which could have influenced the violence in the household and led to a traumatic childhood. With the abuse that he received from his father, Hernandez also was sexually molested on multiple occasions. He rarely ever talked about being sexually molested as a kid, and when asked by reporters, Aaron and Jonathan both refused to talk about the situation. Hernandez never mentioned the details of who molested him, all he has mentioned is that he was severely molested and it impacted his life. Even though Hernandez’s dad abused and assaulted him, he was good for him because he tried his best to keep his kids out of