Patriots tight end Hunter Henry mentioned the late Aaron Hernandez following practice this Thursday.
Henry told reporters that Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has shown him game tape of Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.
“Those guys are legends around here,” Henry said, via Mike Kadlick.
When he was on the field, Hernandez produced at a high level. He had 175 receptions for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns from 2010-2012.
However, Hernandez’s career was cut short by an arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd. In 2017, he was found dead in prison cell.
Naturally, NFL fans were shocked that Henry would refer to Hernandez as a “legend” during Thursday’s media session.
https://t.co/HWBIMQWk8H pic.twitter.com/2uLzIllHi1
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 27, 2023
“Wait till Bill O’Brien finds out what happened to Aaron after he left,” one person tweeted.
Wait till Bill O’Brien finds out what happened to Aaron after he left https://t.co/wKo2lRbZG6
— Bubble T.J. Warren (@nick_furness) July 27, 2023
“Always weird to think about Aaron Hernandez as a football player at this point.. but those two-TE sets were the stuff of legend, some of the most dominant pass catching schemes in the NFL ever,” a second person said.
Always weird to think about Aaron Hernandez as a football player at this point.. but those two-TE sets were the stuff of legend, some of the most dominant pass catching schemes in the NFL ever. https://t.co/xeLFrYwVew
— Max (@_maxpacheco) July 27, 2023
Another fan wrote, “Im not sure what the funniest thing about this is, but Im leaning towards Pats legend Aaron Hernandez.”
Im not sure what the funniest thing about this is, but Im leaning towards Pats legend Aaron Hernandez. https://t.co/gYHIlPJ88r
— Father Keanu (@natronbacon) July 27, 2023
Henry is entering his third season with the Patriots. Last year, he had 41 receptions for 509 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots are hoping Henry will form a dynamic duo at tight end with Mike Gesicki.