Stew Milne- USA TODAY Sports
With each passing day comes another distressing report about Aaron Hernandez. Today’s disturbing Hernandez news story involves current New England Patriots backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Six years ago, Tebow apparently tried to stop Hernandez from getting into a violent bar fight when they were teammates at Florida University.
At the time, Hernandez was just a freshman at college, whereas Tebow had just won the Heisman Trophy, a season after leading the Gators a BCS National Championship in 2006. The two were at a restaurant/bar called the “Swamp” in Gainesville, Flordia on April 28, 2007, when the 17-year-old Hernandez bought and consumed two alcoholic drinks but refused to pay for either of them.
The bouncer at the bar, Michael Taphorn, was infuriated that Hernandez refused to pay the bill. Tebow attempted to resolve the dispute by volunteering to pay for the bill. He implored Hernandez to leave peacefully, but the troubled teenager continued to quarrel with Taphorn.
Hernandez eventually punched Taphorn in the face, rupturing his eardrum in the process. The investigating officer for the night of the incident told Hernandez’s attorney that he would not be pressing charges at the time because Tebow and Hernandez both informed then-Gator football coach Urban Meyer about the situation that night. The officer wanted Meyer to “handle the dispute internally.”
This bizarre twist brings many intriguing questions to the table, especially since Meyer refused to comment on the behalf of Hernandez’s current situation a couple of days ago. Did Meyer, now the coach at Ohio State, ever discipline Hernandez? Is Meyer refusing to discuss Hernandez’s murder charge because he knew how truly unstable Hernandez was all along?
An important piece to the story that needs to be noted is that Gainesville Police did eventually recommend Hernandez be charged with a felony. Alas, it is unclear how the case was resolved because all of Hernandez’s other juvenile records are now sealed.
It is fascinating that so many disturbing stories have surfaced involving Hernandez now that he has been charged with murder. Given all the recent reports, it appears Hernandez was never able to stay out of trouble. But hey, at least Tebow tried to save Hernandez from his sins and (what Tebow believes will be) ‘eternal damnation’ for his former college teammate.
Tyler Ash is a New England Patriots Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on twitter @TyAsh34 Like His Facebook Page, or add him to your network on Google Plus
