Report: Urban Meyer Warned NFL Team Not to Draft Aaron Hernandez

The embattled Ohio State coach coached the former Patriot at the University of Florida.

Aaron Hernandez's Fiancee Responds to Netflix Documentary Series
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. (Yoon S. Byun/The Boston Globe via Getty)

Former University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer warned at least one NFL team not to draft Aaron Hernandez – it just wasn’t the New England Patriots.

The current Ohio State coach, who clearly is not always the best judge of character, told an official from an unspecified team not to touch the toxic tight end in the NFL draft.

“Look, this guy’s a hell of a football player, but he f-cking lies to beat the system and teaches all our other guys to beat the system,” Meyer said according to a new book from ESPN’s Ian O’Connor. “With the marijuana stuff, we’ve never caught this guy, but we know he’s doing it. … Don’t f-cking touch that guy.”

After New England coach Bill Belichick, Meyer’s friend, ended up drafting Hernandez in the fourth round, the former Florida coach was shocked by the move.

Hernandez went on to play for the Patriots and have a good deal of success on the field before his off-field issues caught up to him. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison before committing suicide in 2017.

Previously, it’s been implied the Patriots – and Belichick in particular – could have done more to prevent Hernandez’s crimes.

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