Sumith Prasad
The third episode of FX’s crime drama series ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ opens a window into the friendship of Aaron Hernandez and his teammate Tim Tebow. While the tight end struggles with various distractions and challenges, ranging from his secretive sexual orientation to his overwhelming drug consumption, the quarterback extends a helping hand. Tebow leads Aaron to the comfort of a church and helps him deal with his predicaments spiritually. In reality, as the show depicts, the quarterback was a significant presence in the tight end’s life when they were attending the University of Florida and playing football for the Florida Gators!
Tim Tebow Guided Aaron Hernandez as a Mentor Rather Than a Personal Friend
Tim Tebow was seemingly more of a mentor for Aaron Hernandez rather than an intimate friend. As ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ depicts, the quarterback tried to help the tight end when he arrived at the University of Florida. According to several accounts, the former even convinced the latter to prioritize his institution over the University of Connecticut, where DJ Hernandez played football. A Rolling Stone feature on Aaron describes Tebow as the tight end’s “life instructor.” Having said that, their companionship reportedly didn’t grow beyond this mentor-mentee relationship. The closeness they have in the third episode of the crime drama can be an exaggerated portrayal conceived to depict the helplessness and loneliness Aaron experienced as a queer man immersed in drugs.
“But they [Aaron and Tebow] weren’t close at Florida,” an unnamed person familiar with the Florida Gators told Radar Online in 2013. “Tim obviously became the team’s leader, but he came from a different world than Aaron. They didn’t hang out off the field. Sure, Tim tried to encourage him to live a good life, a religious life, just like he does with so many people. But after playing a huge role in convincing Aaron to come to Florida, Tebow lost any influence he had over Aaron, who quickly got into trouble,” the individual added. The anonymous source’s words suggest that Aaron spiraled into a world of trouble, which was far away from Tebow’s pathways of life.
Tim Tebow Reportedly Supported Aaron Hernandez in Several Instances
Still, the lack of an intimate friendship between Aaron Hernandez and Tim Tebow does not mean that the latter didn’t care for the former. The quarterback, who described the tight end’s athleticism and explosiveness as “incredible,” had the latter’s back for a while. In 2007, Aaron punched a bouncer named Michael Taphorn at a Florida bar called The Swamp, refusing to pay a bill of $12. As per the case report of the police, Tebow, who was present at the place, tried to resolve the predicament as a peacekeeper and attempted to deal with the outstanding bill. He also joined his teammate to inform their head coach, Urban Meyer, of the incident.
According to Jose Baez, Aaron’s attorney, Tebow saved Aaron’s Florida Gators career. In his book ‘Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez,’ the lawyer wrote that Meyer grew frustrated with the tight because of his chronic marijuana smoking and wanted to take him off the team, only for Tebow to intervene and convince the head coach to decide against the move. Meyer didn’t respond to the allegation after the book’s publishing, but he revealed to The Boston Globe that he was aware of the rumors that circulated about his player’s drug consumption.
Tebow and Aaron parted ways in 2010 when they left the University of Florida to join the NFL. While the Denver Broncos picked the former, the New England Patriots selected the latter. In a December 2011 interview, the tight end revealed that he remained in touch with his former teammate occasionally, further describing him as a “very unique person.” In the same year, NFL Films captured a popular exchange between Tebow and Tom Brady, Aaron’s teammate at the New England Patriots. “And I’m trying to watch over Brandon [Spikes] and Aaron [Hernandez],” the Patriots legend told his fellow footballer, who replied, “I appreciate that too, man. They are good guys.”
After Aaron was charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, Tebow seemingly tried to stay away from the controversies. “It’s just heartbreaking and sad, and all my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were involved,” he told the press in 2013 about his former teammate’s arrest without adding anything particular about the latter. Thus, to conclude, it appears to us that Aaron and Tebow were not intimate friends or confidantes. As a dutiful believer and teammate, the quarterback tried to help his teammate and had his back when they were together at the Florida Gators. Beyond the same, they had a cordial relationship that didn’t grow into a strong companionship.
Read More: Avielle Janelle Hernandez: Where is Aaron Hernandez’s Daughter Now?
