Tom Brady To Tim Tebow: Aaron Hernandez Is ‘A Lot To Handle’ [Video]

Tom Brady and Tim Tebow had a brief midfield conversation in 2011 about Aaron Hernandez that is receiving new attention.

In week 15 of the NFL season, the New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 41-23, ending Denver’s six-game winning streak. At the end of the game, the two starting quarterbacks shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, and the dialogue between them included a mention of Tebow’s former University of Florida teammates, Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Spikes. According to NESN and other sources, the conversation (see embed above) went as follows:

Brady: “Good game, Tim. You’re having a great year.”
Tebow: “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Brady: ‘Keep it up. Good things happen to good people.
Tebow: “I appreciate that.”
Brady: “And I’m trying to watch over Aaron and Brandon.”
Tebow: “I appreciate that, too, man. They’re good guys.”
Brady: “[Yeah] they’re a lot to handle.”

Brady and Tebow are now teammates on the Pats, while Aaron Hernandez was released from the NFL team within about two hours of his arrest on criminal charges. Hernandez has been charged with murder and firearms violations in connection with the death of his friend Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found in an industrial park near the NFL star’s home in North Attleboro, Mass., on June 17. He is currently being held without bail in Bristol County, Mass. Jail, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Hernandez is also reportedly under a separate criminal investigation for a 2012 drive-by double homicide in Boston last year. The ex-Pats tight end is also being sued in civil court for personal injuries for allegedly shooting a man in Florida after they argued in a Miami strip club.

As CBS Sports notes, “[The ‘a lot to handle’] comment is sure to generate a question or two from the Boston media denizens, directed towards both Tebow and Brady. (When they’re available.) But it also begs the question of how long the Pats might have noticed the behavior of Hernandez…” Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the media last week that if the criminal allegations are true, he and the team were “duped” by Aaron Hernandez.

The Bleacher Report makes the following observation about the Brady-Tebow Hernandez conversation: “… the brief moment shared between opposing quarterbacks holds new meaning and far greater weight in light of the murder charge Hernandez faces in connection with the death of… Odin Lloyd. If there is anything of real value to take from the video, it would be a reminder that both men share a genuine affinity for one another, which should help the Patriots and their fans get through a harrowing offseason.”