Lawyers are Asking the Patriots to Pay the Families of Aaron Hernandez' Victims
Boston Globe – Lawyers for the plaintiffs in a wrongful death lawsuit pending against the estate of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday called for the team to compensate the families of two men he was accused of murdering.
“We would welcome the Patriots looking into that issue and doing the right thing, which is to compensate the victims,” said Kenneth Kolpan, a lawyer for the family of Daniel de Abreu. …
Kennedy also called on the Patriots to compensate his clients, which he said would help “make amends” for the deaths.
“I think they’re in a position to do that,” Kennedy said. “That would be welcome.” …
The attorneys’ remarks came after a lawyer for Ursula Ward, who has a separate wrongful death lawsuit pending against Hernandez’s estate, publicly challenged the Patriots in April to be “champions of justice” by paying $6 million into the estate.
It goes without saying that we all feel horrible for Aaron Hernandez’ victims and their families. What happened to each of them is an atrocity and it’s impossible not to feel for them. So don’t take this as in any way criticizing the families, only the lawyers. And I swear on my kids I would be saying this if we were talking about any other football team.
Seriously, lawyers, what the hell are we doing here? Yes, everyone would like to see these victims made whole. But what gives them the right to expect Hernandez’ former employer to be the one to do it? Why? Because they have a lot of money? That somehow gives a football team the moral obligation to be “champions of justice” on this one?
I’m sure you’d “welcome” it, Kenneth Kolpan. But what Candyland are you living in, Lord Licorice, where some third party who’s not in any way responsible expected to “make amends” for something they played no part in? If I go out tonight and spill drinks on a crazed postal worker and he kills me, no one will expect the USPS to cut my widow a huge check. The last I looked, the Buffalo Bills weren’t asked to compensate Ron Goldman’s parents. Or the Carolina Panthers expected to send money to Rae Carruth’s girlfriends’ loved ones. Nor should they.
And this is not the first time we’ve had to listen to this nuttiness. I’ve heard a Boston radio host say that the Krafts should by Odin Lloyd’s mom a house. Just because it would be nice. Really? Like what kind of house? Split level? Maybe a nice Colonial? Does anyone know if she prefers a neighborhood or a main street? Would she like walking distance to the schools or is that not important? And she’ll need to cut the grass so do they buy her a mower or just hire a service? Or maybe you just randomly pick out a place and hand the keys to the woman, because what’s a major life decision when you’re trying to “make amends”?
Seriously, how fucking naive do you have to be to reach adulthood and think that the world works this way? That the deepest pocketed person in the area will just hand you $6 million because that will make everyone feel good. When the harsh reality is that if the Patriots or the Krafts did anything more than express sympathy for the victims, it’ll be taken as an admission that somehow the team is responsible for what that monstrous psychopath did.
I say again, what happened to those guys is horrific. But let’s stop with this bullshit about the Patriots paying for it.