Patriots Cut Ties With Aaron Hernandez

Well things seem to have gone from bad to worse for the New England Patriots and Arron Hernandez. A little over a week ago it was discovered that Hernandez may be a suspect in the murder of an associate of his by the name of Odin Lloyd. Well early this morning the reality came crashing down around Hernandez, as he was taken from his home in handcuffs by police, and two hours after his arrest he was released from his contract by the New England Patriots. Here is the full story from ESPN.

Aaron Hernandez was arrested Wednesday morning, more than a week after an acquaintance of the New England Patriots tight end was found dead in an industrial park near his house.

Less than two hours following his arrest, Hernandez was released by the Patriots, who announced the transaction on their official Twitter account.

The Bristol County District Attorney's office released a statement officially announcing Hernandez's arrest, although charges were not disclosed. Hernandez was arrested by Massachusetts State Police, who obtained the arrest warrant, and was booked at the North Attleborough Police station.

The Massachusetts State Police announced on its official Twitter account that the charges against Hernandez will not be revealed until his arraignment Wednesday at Attleboro District Court. Hernandez, wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, long red athletic shorts and black sneakers, was led around 9 a.m. ET from the front door of his mansion with his hands in handcuffs behind his back inside the shirt and placed into a police cruiser, which quickly drove away.

He casually spit into some bushes on his way to the car. Hernandez remains at the center of an investigation involving the shooting death of 27-year-old acquaintance Odin Lloyd.

State police officers and dogs had searched Hernandez's home for more than 3½ hours Saturday. ABC News on Friday reported that authorities were expected to execute an arrest warrant at some point for Hernandez for obstruction of justice.

Michael Fee, an attorney for Hernandez, released a statement Monday night that read: "Over the past week, our client, Aaron Hernandez, has been the subject of a relentless flood of rumors, misinformation, and false reports in the media. These include the repeated publication of a supposedly confirmed report that an arrest warrant had been issued for Aaron, a report that was exposed as untrue. "None of these false reports come from official sources and we appreciate the professionalism and restraint shown by the Bristol County District Attorney's Office to date with regard to its public statements while its investigation is underway. Out of respect for that ongoing investigation, we will continue to refrain from commenting on its substance."

The arrest warrant was prepared last week after police discovered that the security system at Hernandez's home, along with his cellphone, were destroyed, sources told ABC News. Surveillance video from the neighborhood shows Hernandez with Lloyd and two other people hours before Lloyd was killed last week, sources confirmed to ABC News late Thursday. Reporters have been camped out for days at Hernandez's sprawling home on the Rhode Island line, not far from the stadium where the Patriots play. The Patriots drafted Hernandez, who is originally from Bristol, Conn., out of the University of Florida in 2010. Last summer, the team gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.

We would like to thank ESPN and their news sources for allowing us to use the story. So Hernandez arrested, and then cut. This really comes as no surprise to anybody that Hernandez that he was getting released from his contract. Evidence against Hernandez is pretty strong in this case as it relates to how he is going to be dealt with in the case. i think it kinda gives it away when you have you're cell phone destroyed around the same time somebody you know gets killed. I would have thought that he would have been smarter than that, and at least try to cover himself, even if was stupid enough to do something like this.

I will give the Patriots organization full credit right now for handling the whole situation with class the way they have. This was the official statement made by the Patriots just after cutting Hernandez. "A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss. Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do.”

As much as I dislike the Patriots, me being the Jets fan that I am, I tip my hat to the organization for doing the right thing in this situation and handling it with dignity and class. Now that Hernandez is out the Patriots are going to have to try and find another option at tight end.