Robert Pittman
Critical Writing
Professor Methvin
October 2, 2013
The Gangster In Disguise On the first day of the season football players are usually handed a home and away jersey. Aaron Hernandez on the other hand entered the NFL wearing his own sort of jersey. This specific jersey was actually a disguise to hide Aaron’s gangster background. Hernandez grew up with a group of gangsters who he made a strong bond with. Even the achievement of making it to the NFL couldn’t break their bond. At a young age, Hernandez began to hang with the wrong crew. These individuals were drug dealers, and gangsters who made an everlasting impression on Hernandez. They began to introduce Aaron …show more content…
Most football players dedicate their life to the sport they love. Instead, Aaron Hernandez decided to remain a thug. Rather than one day be an NFL superstar. Solotaroff provides a quote from Aaron’s friends and family saying, “He’d get high all time driving away from games, smoking three or four blunts on the ride back to his place”. This quote show’s Aaron wasn’t focused on being the franchise player everyone predicted him to become. Granted that, no matter how many second chances Aaron was given he never took advantage of them. During his college years, there were rumors Aaron was benched due to failing multiple drug tests. Rather than embarrassing Aaron, his college coach denied the rumors. This wasn’t the only time Aaron’s coach looked out for him. Aaron’s coach did a great job protecting him during college. In brief, Aaron’s college coach played the father figure role for him. For example, he would allow Aaron to come over his house for dinner, and go fishing with his family. Aaron’s coach did everything he could in order to stop him from choosing the gangster life. But, in an interview Aaron’s coach stated, “Whenever he left campus, he’d come back different. That’s when the problems happened”. Aaron Hernandez was given multiple opportunities to turn his life around. However, he could never leave the gangster lifestyle his peers steered him towards as a