In some NFL cities, the authorities are inclined to look the other way when it comes to a member of the local football team. In North Attleboro, Massachusetts, that’s definitely not happening.
Apart from the gravity of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of tight end Aaron Hernandez, the police apparently have given Hernandez no special consideration of any kind.
He wasn’t permitted to drive to the police station and quietly turn himself in. Instead, the police showed up at his house, cuffed him, and led him to the cruiser. Like every episode of Cops, except in the daylight.
The video of the arrest also suggests that Hernandez was shirtless when arrested and cuffed, and that police grabbed a T-shirt and shimmied it over his arms and torso after the cuffs were applied. (Dave Dunn is likely relieved that they didn’t reach for the Athletes First gear.)
The treatment reflects the authorities’ attitude toward Hernandez. Either they don’t like him for allegedly obstructing justice, or they believe he was involved in the murder of Odin Lloyd -- and in turn treated him like every other defendant whom police regard as being capable of killing another person.