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It's no secret that the National Football League has a problem with players getting into trouble with the law. As a matter of fact, it seems like every month a player is involved in some kind of illegal activity much like Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots is potentially involved in at the moment.
For the rest of us mortals, it is impossible to fathom just how these multi-millionaire athletes can get themselves into these issues that are obviously self-inflicted after finding such a great deal of success both professionally and financially.
The common thought is: "If I had that money, I would stay out of trouble and just enjoy my life."
That is the common sense response when hearing about a story like Hernandez's, but unfortunately common sense isn't so common when it comes to the law and NFL players abiding by it. Granted, the vast majority do stay out of trouble, but far too many can't follow suit in this day and age.
What's puzzling is that while some can overcome that past and make it all the way to the top of the sport, others simply can't do it. That's because these types of players, for whatever reason, have never been able to leave their past "friends" behind them--thus bringing trouble with them for the rest of their lives.
And when you bring bad people along for the ride, bad decisions are bound to come much like they did in said player's history. It isn't a matter of if, but rather when these problems will arise.
According to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports, Hernandez has a troubled past that dates back to his high school days in Connecticut. The loss of his father was a devastating thing for Hernandez to deal with and he quickly got involved with the wrong people shortly thereafter.
Even in college, Hernandez got into a bar fight that ended up getting him in trouble and was even questioned about a shooting that took place after the fight in which two men were injured. Not surprisingly, according to the same USA Today Sports report, Hernandez's buddies from Connecticut were there with him when the fight occurred.
His run-ins with the law sparked questions about his character when it came time for him to be drafted out of the University of Florida and it seems those character concerns are finally being realized.
Not only is he being investigated by police in the shooting death of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, but he was also reportedly involved in another shooting down in Florida back in February of this year. It just seems that no matter where Hernandez goes, he simply can't avoid trouble.
Now, this isn't all to say that Hernandez's problems are not his fault, because clearly they are. At the end of the day, the Pats' tight-end makes his own decisions, but it's safe to say hanging out with a bad crowd won't help steer him in any better direction.
Sadly for the league itself, players will continue to make bad decisions and harm the NFL's reputation, leading many to believe the sport is filled with thugs and what not. While that isn't the entire story for the vast majority of the league, the loudest voices are the ones broadcasting the countless legal mistakes by these athletes.The NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell have done their best to make harsh penalties for players who break the law in the hopes of possibly avoiding these legal woes, but it appears that isn't helping all that much.
While these problems aren't going away anytime soon, let's just hope that players who enter the league in the future can learn from these dreadful mistakes current players are making and change their lives around when they get to the NFL before it's too late.
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