Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was allegedly a regular user of the hallucinogenic drug PCP, and had become so paranoid by heavy use that he had started carrying a gun wherever he went, according to a report due out this week in Rolling Stone magazine. 
 
 The story, written by magazine contributing editor Paul Solotaroff, also alleges that Hernandez's college coach at the University of Florida, Urban Meyer, "may have helped cover up failed drug tests" by Hernandez, as well as an assault and a drive-by shooting outside a local bar in Gainesville, Fla. 
 
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 Meyer, now the head coach at Ohio State University, has repeatedly denied accusations that he may have enabled lawless behavior by Hernandez while at Florida. In July, Meyer texted The Columbus Dispatch that "Hernandez was held to the same drug testing policy as every other player. ... "Our staff, myself and our families worked very hard to mentor and guide him." 
 
 The magazine released a preview of the story online Tuesday. Hernandez was arrested in June for the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found riddled with bullets near Hernandez's home in North Attleboro, Mass. 
 
 The native of Bristol, Conn. was about to enter his 4th NFL season, all spent with the Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in 10 games in the 2012 season, catching 51 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns. Hernandez had signed a five-year contract extension with a guaranteed $12.5 million signing bonus that was due to kick in after this coming season, but the Rolling Stone article alleges that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was so fed up with Hernandez missing practice and pulling what the preview describes as "thug-life stunts" that the tight end was one incident away from being cut from the team. 
 
 The report of PCP use by Hernandez, if true, would indicate that the tight end's drug use was more serious than suspected. Prior to being drafted by the Patriots, Hernandez admitted to them that he had used marijuana and had failed at least one drug test while at the University of Florida. The article preview also alleges that Hernandez's mother, Terri, cheated on her husband, Dennis, with a drug dealer named Jeffrey Cummings, whom she married after her husband's death in 2006. 
 
 This is the second time in recent months that Rolling Stone has focused on a notorious crime committed in the Boston area. Earlier this year, the magazine was criticized for running a cover photograph that glamorized accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. ||||| UPDATE: Read the full Aaron Hernandez feature, "The Gangster in the Huddle." 
 
 In the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands Friday, August 30th, contributing editor Paul Solotaroff delivers a detailed investigation into Aaron Hernandez's life, tracing his path from affable high school football star to deeply troubled NFL player to murder suspect. Solotaroff conducted interviews with family friends, high school teammates and NFL sources to help explain why the potential NFL great was ensnared by drugs, guns and a life of violence. Here are six revelations about Hernandez: 
 
 Five Sports Stars Accused of Murder 
 
 • Hernandez was a heavy user of angel dust, and had become so paranoid over the last year that he carried a gun wherever he went. 
 
 • He surrounded himself with a cohort of gangsters, and cut himself off from his family and teammates. 
 
 • Hernandez had so infuriated his head coach, Bill Belichick, with missed practices and thug-life stunts, that he was one misstep from being cut. 
 
 • Both his parents, Dennis and Terri, had criminal records, as did much of his extended family. 
 
 • Terri allegedly cheated on Dennis before his death with a violent drug dealer named Jeffrey Cummings, then married Cummings after Dennis died and moved him into the house she shared with Aaron. 
 
 • In college his coach (then-University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer) may have helped cover up failed drug tests, along with two violent incidents — an assault and a drive-by shootout outside a local bar. ||||| Enlarge Image Stephan Savoia | AP Urban Meyer indicated his text to The Dispatch was prompted by some inaccuracies which have swirled about Aaron Hernandez's treatment while a player at Florida. 
 
 By Tim May 
 
 Until this morning, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had kept his thoughts to himself regarding accused murderer Aaron Hernandez, whom he coached him for three years at Florida. But he said there have been several inaccurate reports relating to how Hernandez was dealt with during that time, and he sent a text to The Dispatch to set some of the record straight. 
 
 
 
 Hernandez, drafted in 2010 by the NFL New England Patriots for whom he played the past three seasons, now stands accused of murder in the shooting death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd three weeks ago near Hernandez' home in North Attleborough, Mass. 
 
 
 
 “Prayers and thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim,” Meyer texted. “Relating or blaming these serious charges to the University of Florida, myself or our staff is wrong and irresponsible.” 
 
 
 
 Meyer indicated his text was prompted by some inaccuracies which have swirled about Hernandez' treatment while a player at Florida. 
 
 
 
 “I just received an email from a friend where there is an accusation of multiple failed drug tests by Hernandez covered up by University of Florida or the coaching staff. This is absolutely not true,” Meyer texted. “Hernandez was held to the same drug testing policy as every other player.” 
 
 
 
 Some critics have labeled Meyer “an enabler” for the way he handled Hernandez during those years. 
 
 
 
 “He was an athlete at Florida 4 -7 yrs ago and there are some comments being made that are not correct,” Meyer’s text continued. “Our staff, myself and our families worked very hard to mentor and guide him.” 
 
 
 
 Meyer, on his way to a brief vacation before gearing up for his second season at Ohio State, also answered a few questions, which will be covered in a story in The Dispatch on Sunday. 
 
 
 
 tmay@dispatch.com 
 
 
 
 @Tim_Maysports
– A new investigative report in Rolling Stone reveals that while Urban Meyer was head coach at the University of Florida, Meyer may have helped to cover up a drive-by shooting, an assault, and failed drug tests for Aaron Hernandez. Meyer has long denied that he enabled Hernandez's misbehavior, Fox News notes; just last month, Meyer insisted to the Columbus Dispatch that Hernandez had to submit to the same drug tests as his teammates. The article, previewed on Rolling Stone's website today, also alleges that the former NFL star, now a murder suspect, was a heavy PCP user. His heavy use of angel dust allegedly made him so paranoid that he carried a gun everywhere, the magazine says.