Long before Aaron Hernandez was convicted of murder, he was reportedly receiving advice from his University of Florida appointed life instructor , Tim Tebow. Now, 10 years later, Aaron Hernandez is dead by his own hand and has left behind a daughter, fiancee and a long list of rumors.
One of the latest rumors is that Hernandez was bisexual and wanted to keep it a secret. Is it possible that this led to the murder of his one-time close friend Odin Lloyd?
Tim Tebow Apparently Failed as a Life Instructor
Regardless of whether or not Aaron Hernandez was bisexual, Tim Tebow failed to keep him from endangering his career and the lives of others. In 2007, the two football players were part of a fight at The Swamp Restaurant in Gainesville, Florida. Although Aaron Hernandez was only 17, an argument with the manager reportedly broke out about his bar tab.
Tim Tebow attempted to calm Hernandez down, but he was unable to prevent a fight that ended up rupturing the manager’s eardrum. The University of Florida is believed to have gotten involved at this point, according to USA Today , by offering the manager a settlement in lieu of pressing charges.
Stories such as this seem to have plagued Aaron Hernandez throughout his short playing career. It’s unknown exactly what caused him to act so aggressively off the field, although it’s been speculated that multiple concussions could be to blame . Beyond this; however, is the possibility that Hernandez felt enormous pressure to keep his sexuality a secret?
Did Tim Tebow Know?
Tim Tebow has been outspoken about his faith, and he said he was “praying” for Aaron Hernandez after his former protege was arrested for murder. Tebow was also once known for supporting anti-LGBT organizations. Nevertheless, the Atlantic reported that he shocked his conservative supporters in 2013 by canceling an appearance at a church after the pastor made anti-gay marriage comments.
The world will probably never know if Tim Tebow had an abrupt about-face because he was trying to protect his career or if he had discovered that someone he cared about was a member of the LGBT community. Either way, it’s easy to speculate that someone who spent so much time with Aaron Hernandez during his formative years may have either known or suspected the truth about his sexuality.
Was Aaron Hernandez Truly Bisexual?
Again, it’s difficult for anyone to confirm Hernandez’s sexuality now that he’s no longer alive. The New York Daily News recently reported that the former-NFL star left three suicide notes in his bible . One of them was to a prison friend who was supposedly his boyfriend. If this letter from Aaron Hernandez is ever made public, it will definitely help shed some light on the topic of his sexuality.
According to a bombshell article from Newsweek , officers who worked on the Odin Lloyd murder case looked closely at bisexual rumors as a potential motive . It’s believed that Lloyd may have been aware that Aaron Hernandez was bisexual and perhaps threatened to share this information with Hernandez’s fiancee.
If this police theory can be proven, it will bring to light how damaging societal expectations about professional male athletes can be. After all, Aaron Hernandez spent a big portion of his short life in the spotlight, and the NFL’s reaction to Michael Sam makes it clear why LGBT players may choose to keep their sexuality a closely guarded secret.
Aside from the suicide note, there’s one other piece of evidence that has fanned the flames of the bisexuality rumors. Before Aaron Hernandez was put in jail, he transferred a lot of money from his personal account into the accounts of three other people.
Unsurprisingly, Hernandez’s fiancee and child were included. The transfer that captured media attention was to a male friend from high school who is rumored to have been the deceased NFL player’s long-time boyfriend.
If Tim Tebow knew about any of this, he apparently convinced Aaron Hernandez he could keep it a secret; it’s more likely, though, that the religious beliefs of Tim Tebow would have been influential in keeping Hernandez from publicly coming out.
[Cropped and composite Featured Image by Christian Petersen, Jim Rogash/Getty Images]