This morning Aaron Hernandez was arrested and then abruptly cut by the Patriots. Pretty rough morning for him indeed. As a diehard Patriots fan, this offseason has been a bit troubling.

First of all, let me state that my thoughts and prayers are with the Odin Lloyd family.

What we know so far:

All we know at this time is he has been arrested and has a bail hearing later today. The charges have yet to be announced so we are all in the dark at this point. Shortly after the arrest, the Patriots cut Hernandez making this statement:

“A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss,” the Patriots’ statement said. “Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do.”

The Patriots made a fast and bold move in releasing Hernandez. The Patriots have always been about “The Patriot Way”, so the decision doesn’t shock me. I actually think it makes them look good in cutting him and not playing around.

UPDATE:

Aaron Hernandez has been charged with the Murder of Odin Lloyd as well as 1 count of Obstruction of Justice and 4 counts of illegal gun possession. He of course has pleaded NOT Guilty.

Quick Thoughts: WOW, I am in shock right now. This does not look good for Mr. Hernandez at all.

What he brought to the table:

Hernandez has all the talent in the world, and he has shown that on the football field. He had over 1900 yards and 18 touchdowns in his 3 seasons with the Patriots. He and former teammate, Rob Gronkowski, had revitalized the TE position. He had a very nice skill set that the Patriots utilized whether he was catching passes or taking hand offs in the backfield. They are going to miss a huge key of the offense this year.

Who could replace him?

No folks not Timothy Tebow so please do us all the favor and shut that down right now. They have Jake Ballard and Michael Hoomanawanui (say that five times fast) listed as the other TE’s on the roster. Of course, neither is Hernandez, but Ballard has some solid experience at the position. We will have to see how his knee is however, before we can suggest how he is going to play this year.

How this hurts the Patriots:

With Gronkowski probably not going to be ready for the beginning of the season, they will be without their top 4 weapons from last year. New England’s offense could be in trouble at the start of the season, because who knows if Amendola can stay healthy, or Dobson will be the player we hope for. The Patriots don’t exactly have a great history with rookie WRs. So this could be an interesting transition period for them on offense.

My thoughts on the situation:

As a die-hard Patriots fan, it truly is sad to see this happening right now. I am/was a big fan Hernandez’s and was very happy that he played on our team. It is unbelievable how these players, year in and year out, just continue to put themselves in such predicaments. I don’t know what happened that night, and I am not sure we will ever know the whole truth, but one thing is for sure I am upset as a fan of Aaron Hernandez that this happened. I have all the faith in the world in Belichick and Brady, but it doesn’t dismiss my concerns regarding the team.