Netflix’s original documentary series, “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” premiered today on the streaming platform.
The teaser trailer began with a collect call that a shaken-up Aaron Hernandez made from prison. The only indication he gives as to why he is distraught is made by the last four words he speaks in the video, which are projected on the screen in bold, white script: “You know my temper.”
Before the buzz around his violent tendencies came about, Hernandez enrolled at the University of Florida in 2007 and played football under coach Urban Meyer through the 2009 season.
According to a release, the three-part documentary “meticulously examines the perfect storm of factors leading to the trial, conviction, and death of an athlete who seemingly had it all.”
A successful Division I career, BCS National Championship ring and a 5-year, $40 million contract with the New England Patriots does sound like “it all” to any football player in the country.
While at UF and during his three seasons in the NFL, he garnered attention on and off the field. Hernandez’s talent at the tight end position was evident, but so was his involvement in violent crimes.
As a Gator, Hernandez broke the school record for most catches by a tight end in a season with 68 in 2009, which also led the nation for receptions by a tight end that season. In the FedEx BCS National Championship, he led Florida in receiving against Oklahoma with five catches yielding 57 yards. He also became the first and only Gator to ever win the John Mackey Award in 2009, which is bestowed upon the best college tight end annually.
But behind all of the awards and acclamations, Hernandez was deeply troubled.
Most sports fans know the extremely public landmarks of Hernandez’s story. He was involved in two trials for the murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd and two Boston-area men, respectively. He was then convicted for the first-degree murder of Lloyd and charged with a life-sentence. And in April of 2017, he committed suicide via the bedsheet he was found hanging by in his prison cell. This series goes deeper into his narrative than that.
The special includes exclusive interviews with friends of both Hernandez and Lloyd, courtroom footage and collect calls from prison, like the one in the teaser trailer, to find the root of Hernandez’s disastrous downfall. It unearths startling details about his childhood life in Bristol, Connecticut, and other little-known motives that led to his aggressive behavior.
All three episodes were made available early this morning for Gators fans, football fanatics and crime show junkies alike to binge through the weekend.
Follow Payton on Twitter @petitus25 and contact her at ptitus@alligator.org.
Payton is a sophomore journalism major from Jacksonville, Florida. She is The Alligator's Spring 2021 digital managing editor. Her previous roles include softball beat writer, football beat writer and online sports editor.
