Column: Hernandez Shows Perils of Hero Worship Robert Kraft claims he was duped, though the owner of the New England Patriots seemed to have plenty of warnings before taking tight end Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL draft. The fact Hernandez was left untouched by other teams until midway through the fourth round despite his obvious physical skills was one. So was an incident while Hernandez was at the University of Florida, when the 17-year-old allegedly refused to pay for two drinks at a bar and then sucker-punched an employee who tried to collect. And then there was a psychological profile from a scouting service widely distributed among NFL teams that ranked him on the bottom of the scale for social maturity and indicated there could be problems ahead. "Hernandez's ... responses suggest that he enjoys living on the edge of acceptable behavior and that he may be prone to partying too much and doing questionable things that could be seen as a problem for him and his team," said the report by Human Resource Tactics, which was obtained by Wall Street Journal. If Kraft was duped, so were fans who shelled out 100 bucks for a No. 81 jersey. They didn't have access to psychological profiles, didn't know much about Hernandez other than he was a big tight end with soft hands. They loved him because he could catch touchdown passes, and they cheered before last season when he was given a new $40 million contract to be Tom Brady's biggest target. Now Hernandez sits in a jail cell, charged with a murder portrayed in court documents as a cold-blooded execution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He's also being investigated in connection with a double killing in Boston last year involving a car rented in his name. Millionaire sports hero one day, just another inmate the next. There may never have been such a spectacular fall by an active player. During the weekend, the Patriots held an event for fans to exchange their Hernandez jerseys for others. The conversations on the drive to the stadium must have been awkward. How do you tell a kid that the athlete he or she idolized - whose name was stitched across their back - is an accused killer? There are other conversations that should be just as uncomfortable: How can parents promote hero worship of athletes when they know so little about the person in the uniform? Why are we so quick to idolize someone based simply on their ability to throw or catch a ball? Hernandez is, of course, innocent until found guilty. That's a basic tenet of our legal system, and sometimes things aren't always what authorities say. But the account of semi pro player Odin Lloyd being lured to an early morning car ride and then shot to death at what was supposed to be a bathroom stop is chilling. So is the police narrative of Hernandez's reaction when they asked him later about a body being found nearby. They said he didn't ask who died. "What's with all the questions?" police said Hernandez asked before shutting the door on them. He returned with his attorney's business card, but didn't respond when police told him they were investigating the death, according to court records. This isn't just another NFL player arrest, something we've become accustomed to over the years. This is uncharted territory, as evidenced by the way Kraft and the Patriots handled it.