NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested early Wednesday morning in the connection of the shooting death of acquaintance Odin Llyod, after body was found in an industrial park near his house.
No later than two hours after his arrest, Hernandez was released by the New England Patriots, who initially announced the transaction through the team's official Twitter account before formalizing it an official statement, according to ESPN.
"A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss," the Patriots' statement said. "Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do."
Hernandez was escorted from his home in police custody somewhere around 9 a.m. ET Wednesday morning from the front door of his mansion with his hands placed in handcuffs behind his back. He currently remains the center of the police investigation of the 27-year-old Lloyd.
The arrest warrant was prepared last week after police discovered that the security system at Hernandez's home, along with his cellphone, were destroyed, sources told ABC News.
A source has identified Hernandez at a bar in Boston with Lloyd and two other men on the night of the murder, and that all four men left the location together in a car driven by Hernandez, which Lloyd reportedly confirmed in a text to a friend.
Surveillance video from Hernandez's neighborhood showed Hernandez and Llyod along with two other people just hours before Lloyd was killed last week.
The Patriots drafted Hernandez, who is originally from Bristol, Conn., out of the University of Florida in 2010. Last summer, the team gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.
As the outcome of Hernandez's police investigation still in the works, there has been a growing theory that the team will convert Tim Tebow from a quarterback into a tight end.
However, according to ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss, the Pats are more interested in utilizing Tebow as the third-string quarterback.
Tebow has been given a chance by Bill Belicheck and the Patriots, and according to former Heisman Trophy winner and Carolina Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke, the Patriots will be very pleased with the quarterback that they now possess.
"Do I think he can play the quarterback position in the NFL? Yeah, no question,'' Weinke told USA TODAY Sports Monday. "Like I told Tim when I found out (Monday) that he signed, 'You're locked and loaded, ready to go.''
Weinke added:
"Tim's about as competitive a guy as you're ever going to be around,'' Weinke said. "Tim didn't spend any time talking about the Jets releasing him. But at the end of the day, he's been humbled and he's hungry.
"That's good. He'll go up to New England. And they'll be pleased with the way he's throwing the football."
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