Hernandez murder case has impact at Iowa

IOWA CITY — Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in a Massachusetts courtroom Wednesday. That high-profile case has ramifications locally along that commonwealth.

Hernandez's older brother, D.J., has served as a graduate assistant with the Iowa football program. For the last two years. D.J. Hernandez worked with Iowa's tight ends and had Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz's support throughout the ordeal.

'All you can do is lend support,' Coach Ferentz said Wednesday. 'It's a very tough thing for D.J. to go through. D.J. is a tremendous young man. He had a great career at the University of Connecticut and was a very unselfish player there, a two-time captain, a very good student. It's just there are a lot of things in life that are very tough to explain, and I'm not sure anybody can explain this one. Certainly it's been a tough period for him.'

According to published reports, Aaron Hernandez was accused of shooting 27-year-old Odin Lloyd six times on June 17, 2013 near Hernandez's home in North Attleborough, Mass. The conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.

Iowa offensive line coach Brian Ferentz coached Aaron Hernandez in New England in 2010 and 2011 before moving to Iowa in 2012. Brian Ferentz was reluctant to comment about Aaron Hernandez's conviction.

'These things are unfortunate and really I don't think it benefits Iowa football or myself to comment on the situation other than it's tragic,' Brian Ferentz said. 'It's certainly much more tragic for the victims involved, but these types of things, they affect everyone. I feel bad for D.J. and for his family, but I feel worse for the victims in this case.

'Things like this, again, I think the reason you don't comment is what can you really say? I don't know what I could say that would make any sense to me or to anyone in here and wouldn't be picked apart.'

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