Mike Pouncey isn’t going to apologize for wearing a hat supporting former teammate and now suspected murderer Aaron Hernandez.
Mike and his twin brother Maurkice were teammates with Hernandez at the University of Florida, and last week the brothers were spotted wearing “Free Hernandez” hats at their birthday party.
Maurkice Pouncey apologized for the hat, saying on Twitter :
“I fully recognize the seriousness of the situation involving my former teammate, and I regret that my actions appear to make light of that serious situation. I apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions.”
But Mike Pouncey deflected questions about the hat and his support of Aaron Hernandez.
“I’m just here to focus on football,” the Miami Dolphins center said after arriving at the team’s training game. Mike later added, “We get paid a lot of money to act a certain way, and that’s the way we should be acting.”
The Dolphins have not addressed the issue directly, with coach Joe Philbin saying, “I will tell you that it’s important for every member of this organization — player, coach — to represent the Miami Dolphins in a first-class manner.”
Aaron Hernandez is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his onetime associate, Odin Lloyd. Police said Hernandez orchestrated the murder after getting angry at Lloyd.
Police seem to have a strong case against Hernandez, with surveillance video showing him with a gun in his home shortly before the murder and other video showing him driving Lloyd in a car near where he was later found dead.
Since Hernandez ‘s arrest, he has seen little in the way of support. The Patriots cut him hours after the arrest and later allowed fans with Aaron Hernandez jerseys to get a different one for free. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also took down pictures that had featured the tight end.
Outside of Maurkice and Mike Pouncey , most of the teammates of Aaron Hernandez have also remained quiet on the issue.