Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson's recent comments about Aaron Hernandez revealed another side of the former NFL tight end who was found guilty of killing his friend Odin Lloyd.
In an Associated Press report published on Yahoo, Hodgson, who had Hernandez in custody for more than 18 months, said Hernandez is good at using his charm and has manipulative abilities. Hodgson described the ex-New England Patriot as polite and he got along with others easily. Hernandez would reportedly use his friendly persona to get special requests during the time that he stayed in prison before his sentence, although the staff members were informed that Hernandez should not be given any special treatment. The sheriff said, "He would make every effort to get extra sandwiches. He would just try to convince the officers to give him more than what they otherwise could get."
Hernandez was also good at compartmentalizing things, Hodgson added, and can remove the negative issues in his situation. "He doesn't really look at it as jail. It's more like training camp."
Before Hernandez was brought to a state prison, he reportedly told Bristol County staff that he'll miss them but still maintained his innocence by saying "they got it wrong." Hodgson said, "He didn't really have much of a change in his demeanor. He pretty much still had a swagger in his step."
The sheriff said that Hernandez would probably do well in prison, based on the same Associated Press report.
"He'll probably do fine. He'll be able to talk his way through everything. If someone's trying to outwardly and aggressively disrespect him, that could create a problem," Hodgson said.
Hodgson added that he talked to Hernandez several times and one of the topics of their conversation was about a very special person in the former New England Patriots player's life. "His father was a huge, huge influence in his life and really his anchor. If you disrespect him, it's like you disrespected his father."
On April 15, Hernandez was convicted for the 2013 murder of Lloyd, who was dating the sister of his fiancé. Hernandez reportedly told the officers who transported him after the sentence that the jurors were wrong. According to several news outlets, Hernandez's attorney has yet to comment on the sheriff's statements.
In the meantime, Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, announced that she will be filing a civil suit against Hernandez for the wrongful death of her son. After Hernandez was convicted, Ward said that she already forgave everyone who had a hand in her son's killing, based on a report by Boston.com.