Aaron Hernandez Clears Waivers After Release from Patriots

The bad news continues to pile up for Aaron Hernandez, as the former tight end of the New England Patriots cleared waivers without being claimed by another NFL team, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

On Wednesday, Hernandez was arrested (via Bill Pennington of The New York Times) and charged with murder (via Wesley Lowery of the Boston Globe).

He was promptly released by the Patriots and was subject to waivers, since he has not yet completed four years of NFL service (via the team's official Twitter account).

Not surprisingly, no NFL teams claimed him, clearly adverse to aligning themselves with a player now facing a lengthy court battle in regards to his charge of the murder of Odin Lloyd. Obviously, NFL teams would rather wait to see how Hernandez's legal issues resolve before making any financial commitment.

And with no bail set for Hernandez, it's not as though he could have joined a team's offseason program anyway (via SportsCenter on Twitter): 

If Hernandez is eventually found innocent he'll garner plenty of interest around the NFL. In three seasons, he's accumulated 175 receptions for 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns. He made a name for himself as one of the league's most versaitle offensive weapons at any position, possessing a rare blend of size and speed. 

However, it's now very possible he'll never play another snap in the NFL. 

Behind Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots will now turn to Jake Ballard as the No. 2 tight end. Speculation around the possibility of Tim Tebow making the switch to tight end will likely persist as well, though the Patriots may turn to free agency to fill the void left by Hernandez after his release.