Patriots Release Hernandez - The Right Move?

New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez was arrested this morning in connection to the death of his friend Odin Lloyd just a mile from his Massachusetts home. About 90 minutes later, the Patriots released Hernandez from their team.

First of all, all thoughts and prayers begin with Odin Lloyd and his family. That's where they should be.

However, we need to look at the big picture happening here with the National Football League. A total of 29 NFL players now have been arrested since the Super Bowl in February. This is an extremely troubling trend in the NFL, one that needs to be addressed for sure on a league-wide level.

First off, we need to examine what's happening on a team-level. The Patriots and owner Robert Kraft acted swiftly in releasing Aaron Hernandez. But is this the right decision? Should a franchise stand by their player until a verdict is reached? Or is it appropriate to sever ties immediately?


People will immediately think back to 1999 and the Ray Lewis situation. Ray Lewis was arrested for murder, lied to police, and later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. He never missed a game and was welcomed back with open arms to the Baltimore Ravens, winning Super Bowl MVP the following season.

Can you imagine how the past decade would have changed if the Ravens did back then what the Patriots did today? Imagine if the Ravens decided that they didn't want an accused murderer on their team any more.

So why did the Ravens hold on to Lewis while the Patriots dropped Hernandez like a bad date? And which team made the right decision?

Maybe the reason that the Patriots had such a short leash on Hernandez was that he had prior issues with the law. Earlier this year, he was alleged to have shot a friend in the eye. He also had multiple confrontations with the law while at Florida, including admitting to failing multiple drug tests during his time as a Gator and while at the NFL Combine. It was those character issues that led to Hernandez dropping all the way to the fourth round in the NFL Draft, and quite possibly why the Patriots were so quick to say goodbye.

Ray Lewis had some character issues when he was drafted, but no real issues with the law prior to his arrest for the stabbing deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. The Ravens chose to believe in their player and kept him on their roster. After the murder charge was dropped, fans welcomed him back with open arms.

The Patriots, known for their players' good reputations, get rid of a potential problem as soon as possible. The Ravens, known for taking players in the draft and free agency who have had prior character issues and trying to "turn them around" during their time with the team, naturally is more likely to keep a player and not drop him just based on accusations and a charge. 

So again, which franchise made the right decision? Which route would you rather see franchises make in the future?

You make the call, because I am torn.