Aaron Hernandez and Tim Tebow were teammates at the University of Florida. In FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, their relationship is explored in detail, showing how Tebow introduced Hernandez to Christianity. What we know about how Hernandez‘s former teammate reacted to his murder charges, however, is limited.
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“I needed to understand why he was so passionate about religion, about Jesus and about faith,” Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays Tebow in the 10-episode drama series, told The Hollywood Reporter. “It was my job to understand how he talked about Jesus, how he talked about faith, and what his relationship was to all those things so that I could go and pass that off onto Aaron.”
There was no evidence of how much Tebow was aware of when it came to Hernandez’s struggle, Schwarzenegger’s research helped him show why Tebow “notices Aaron abusing drugs, partying, alcohol and so on” and “would reach out and help someone through their struggles to be this humanizing light for Aaron [because] that’s the kind of leader Tim was at Florida,” he said.
Tim Tebow’s reaction to Aaron Hernandez’s murder charges
“It’s just heartbreaking and sad, and all my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were involved,” Tebow said in an interview with ESPN in 2013, shortly after Hernandez was arrested for murder. “I understand why you have to ask all the questions; that’s part of doing your job. Part of mine is listening to instruction, and we’ve been told not to talk about it.”
Tebow also defended his former coach at Florida, Urban Meyer, who came under scrutiny amid Aaron’s arrest for several reasons. “I feel like Coach Meyer is a great man, one of the best I’ve had the privilege of being around,” Tebow said. “He is someone that not only tries to win football games; he’s someone who tries to invest in young men’s lives and help young men grow. He cares very deeply about that. That’s one of the reasons I’m so close to him and so proud of him.”
Meyer was criticized for being a lax disciplinarian and potentially enabling Hernandez‘s problematic behavior during his time at the University of Florida. There were at least 31 arrests of Florida players during Meyer’s tenure from 2005-2010, the New York Times reported in 2013. Also, while Meyer reportedly warned at least one NFL team not to draft Hernandez due to his behavior issues, he also allegedly convinced Bill Belichick that Hernandez’s problems wouldn’t be an issue in the NFL.
“Relating or blaming these serious charges to the University of Florida, myself or our staff is wrong and irresponsible,” Meyer told the sportswriter, Tim May, per the New York Times. “Our staff, myself, and our families worked very hard to mentor and guide him,” he said of Hernandez.