Aaron Hernandez is in trouble. It remains up in the air if he will even take the field with the New England Patriots in August. Just when Las Vegas handicappers had published their opening odds for the coming NFL season, a major player on a major team gets himself busted. What will this do to the Spreads, the Money Lines and the Over & Unders for the 2013-2014 professional football season?
Hernandez is currently under investigation concerning the demise of an associate of his, Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found in an industrial park less than a mile from his home. The only charges talked about so far are obstruction of justice… but it’s not looking good for Aaron.
Hernandez is in the middle of a 5 year contract extension through the 2018 season that he just signed and received a nice $12.5 million signing bonus. If his current legal issues are not properly resolved, it could wind up costing the 2011 Pro Bowl tight end a whole bunch of money… as much as $37 million according to USA Today. He has already lost one endorsement deal with Cytosport and more may follow.
The Boston Herald reported that Hernandez had been ‘barred’ from Gillette Stadium by the Patriots. The move was instigated by Patriots owner Robert Kraft who stated that he did not want Gillette Stadium to be ‘the site of a media stakeout’.
In other good news, Wide Receiver Joe Morgan of the New Orleans Saints has also gotten himself into trouble during the off season… but not so much as Hernandez. Morgan’s breach of conduct was driving while intoxicated although the car was parked when he was arrested. He did show a blood alcohol content of 0.218 which is over double the legal limit. Then there was the small matter of a driver’s license which he could not produce.
Morgan caught 10 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns last season. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011. It is not expected that his arrest will have any effect on the odds for the Saints in the coming season.
Elsewhere, Safety Cody Grimm of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has had a busy offseason indeed. He has been arrested in Virginia for public intoxication twice in two months. The son of Hall of Famer Russ Grimm should know better.
Handicappers must now take all of this into consideration when calculating the odds for next season.