The Patriots were able to keep their rookies from being asked about Aaron Hernandez this week, but they have no such control over former members of the team who are settling into retirement.
Former Patriots tackle Matt Light played with Hernandez for two years before calling it a career after the 2011 season and was asked about Hernandez during a conversation with Tom Archdeacon of the Dayton Daily News. The interview took place before Hernandez’s arrest on murder charges Wednesday, but that didn’t mean Light held back from offering a negative assessment of his former teammate after a pause of several seconds.
“I never talk about other guys, but I will say I have never embraced -- never believed in -- anything Aaron Hernandez stood for,” Light said.
Light didn’t elaborate on what Hernandez stood for, but, as Archdeacon points out, there’s a clear insinuation that the former Patriots tight end wasn’t standing for the right things. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Hernandez having friction with other members of the Patriots and the last 10 days have brought plenty of reminders about character concerns around Hernandez before the Patriots drafted him with the 113th pick of the 2010 draft., often from the same people who praised the Patriots for landing such a talented player in the middle rounds of the draft.
We’re likely to hear more on those fronts as Hernandez goes from preparing for training camp to preparing for a trial. It’s less likely we’ll be hearing from anyone offering an opposite view than the one Light espoused earlier this week.
