Former NFL tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez was “sexually molested as a young boy," according to a report by The Boston Globe. As part of an investigative six-part series into Hernandez's life, The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team conducted interviews with family, friends, former teammates and obtained recordings of nearly 300 phone calls Hernandez made from prison.
The report states that Jonathan Hernandez, Aaron’s only sibling, revealed that his brother once revealed that he had been sexually molested as a young boy. One of Hernandez's lawyers also confirmed that the former Patriots' tar had spoken about sexual abuse as a child as well. That said, neither Jonathan or his lawyer would identify who abused Aaron.
In addition to the sexual abuse, Hernandez and his brother “lived in constant fear of their father’s beatings” while growing up in Bristol, Connecticut.
“I picked up the phone once to call, to seek help,” Jonathan told the Globe. “And his response was, ‘Call them.’ And he handed me the phone, and he said, ‘I’m going to beat you even harder, you and your brother, and they’re going to have to pull me off of you when they knock down the door.’”
Dennis SanSouice, one of Aaron’s high school teammates, also told the Globe about a “now-and-then sexual relationship” he had with Aaron throughout middle and high school. “Me and him were very much into trying to hide what we were doing,” SanSouice told the Globe. “We didn’t want people to know.”
The Globe's series on Hernandez also sheds light on his time with the New England Patriots and his frequent mood swings. Check out what his former teammates had to say here.
