Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, the fiancee of the late NFL player Aaron Hernandez, is once again denying rumors her man was gay in the foreword to a new book by defense attorney Jose Baez.
Just to recap: The 27-year-old former Patriots star was serving a life sentence for murder when he was found dead in his prison cell in 2017. The cause of death was ruled a suicide. Afterwards, rumors quickly began circulating that Hernandez was either gay or bisexual and that he had had a jailhouse lover, a claim his family continues to deny.
Related: Aaron Hernandez’s jailhouse lover identified
In the forward to Baez’s Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez, Jenkins-Hernandez writes:
How about we take this to the next level?
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There has been much speculation about Aaron’s sexuality since his death. I can say this: Aaron was very much a man to me. I saw no indication that he was gay or homosexual. I wish I had known how he felt, just so we could have talked about it. I wouldn’t have disowned him. I would have been supportive. I can’t fault him if he was feeling that way. When you love someone so much you just want to be there to support them. The fact that he felt he couldn’t come out to me or he couldn’t tell me these things hurts, because we had that bond. I’ve accepted that he may have been the way he was said to be, or that it may not be true. Regardless, I won’t know.
Jenkins-Hernandez made similar remarks during a sit-down with Dr. Phil last year.
“I had no indication or any feeling that he was [gay],” she insisted during the interview. “He was very much a man to me. I don’t know where this came from.”
She continued, “It’s embarrassing, in a sense. It’s hurtful. Regardless if it was true or not, it’s just not something that I saw. It’s not something I believe, and it’s not him.”
Related: Aaron Hernandez bisexual rumors rekindled by new book about the convicted killer
In an interview for Oxygen’s special Aaron Hernandez Uncovered, however, defense attorney George Leontire said the former NFL player definitely struggled with his attractive to men.
“Aaron and I talked about his sexuality,” said Leontire. “This man clearly was gay. [He] acknowledged it. Acknowledged the immense pain that it caused him…I think that he also came out of a culture that was so negative about gay people that he exhibited some self-hatred.”
During the special, Hernandez’s college girlfriend, Alyssa Anderson, said she often suspected Hernandez was attracted to men. She also recounted the time she caught him texting with another guy.
“Back in college, there were text messages I saw on his phone when he came back from a trip [that were] from a male,” she revealed in the doc. “[They] didn’t have a name, didn’t really say too much, but it was a relationship with somebody and I questioned it.”
In our estimation, if Hernandez was attracted to men, but he also had relationships with women, then he wasn’t gay. He was bisexual. But, as Jenkins-Hernandez stated, we will never truly know.
Related: Aaron Hernandez’s lawyer claims he “clearly was gay” in shocking TV special
DCguy
The headline for this literally says the opposite of what the fiancée said. Did the author miss the part of her quote she she said……
“”I wish I had known how he felt, just so we could have talked about it. I wouldn’t have disowned him. I would have been supportive. I can’t fault him if he was feeling that way. When you love someone so much you just want to be there to support them. The fact that he felt he couldn’t come out to me or he couldn’t tell me these things hurts, because we had that bond.”
—-
In other words ,she didn’t notice anything that would have made her think he was gay but wished he would have felt comfortable enough to talk to her if he was because she would have been supportive.
joeboyle49
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Matchmaker warns women their boyfriends are “completely gay” if they exhibit any of these 15 behaviors
Vince
“Aaron was very much a man to me. I saw no indication that he was gay or homosexual”
With statements like that I can see why he kept it from her.
t
I know, right? She says she would have been supportive yet says he was very much a man as opposed to not being a man, as in being gay? Gee, any wonder he wouldn’t have shared with her? Byatch!
Jack Meoff
And what is supposed to be the difference between being gay versus homosexual?
woodroad34
Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, I’d like you to meet Phyllis Gates and Rock Hudson.
Ari
Exactly, the headline says the opposite of what the fiancee said! What the hell Queerty?
Donston
The whole “real man” perspective is partly why there’s still so much internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity. But this site used an old quote that they had already did an article on to get clicks for this one. She definitely cleaned up her perspective if only to avoid criticism this time around.
No one knows the dimensions of Aaron’s orientation or all his struggles. But honestly, I wouldn’t believe anything that wifey says. She seemed very much in the know on a lot of what Aaron was doing and not nearly as naive as she tries to come off.
Xzamilloh
The man was a murderer and is dead… I don’t give two rats’ asses if he was gay, bi, or “Sometimes Y”
mr guy
He was a STRONG 9 and almost as gifted in sporting prowess. It’s nice to know someone like him was on our team despite any um unpleasantness
Xzamilloh
The MURDER brings him down to a 1 in my book, but get your bad boy… he’s not going anywhere, so you have plenty of time to make your move.
DHT
Maybe if she had a penis she would have thought differently?
bicyclistcolorado
I guess I have to take her at her word when she states that she would have been open to his bisexuality, that she would have been supportive, and that they could have made it work — but I am skeptical given the very homophobic crowd Aaron hung out with. Ultimately, however, it was on Aaron to man up and come out to the people he loved. I came out as a bi man to my girlfriend four years ago, and it has led to an honesty and openness and connection that I could never have imagined (and it doesn’t hurt that she thinks it is hot and she is definitely not the only woman on the planet who thinks so — something bi guys have to learn and remember). However, it is a fact that most bi men stay in the closet — including Aaron in his toxic and ultimately homicidal/suicidal closet. Come out, bi men, come out! It is the only action you will ever take that will make it easier for every other bi person to come out and be who they are.
Donston
Here people go making assumptions about a man they know nothing about as well as giving them identites.
Also, I have a feeling that if Aaron was into guys and having sex with them that that by itself wasn’t his biggest struggle. Wanting to actually be with a guy instead of merely having sex with them and other issues, including violent tendencies and trauma from childhood abuse, likely plagued him more. Those things don’t go away simply by coming out.
Paco
While I agree that the closet is toxic and destructive, Aaron was found to have the most severe form of CTE for someone his age. That probably had more to do with his unfortunate behaviors and choices than the closet did.
bicyclistcolorado
I agree with Donston that my comments assume that Aaron knew who he was in terms of his orientation, and I agree with both Donston and Paco that his ultimate destructiveness and self-destructiveness probably was not attributable to just one factor, and this his severe injuries and CTE and childhood traumas no doubt played a major part in this tragic situation. In a better world, it would have been great fun to have an out, HOT NFL superstar who could just be himself in the world. Very sad.
Donston
It’s just too easy and too much of an agenda driven answer. Many men have wives or girlfriends and yet are secretly having sex with non cis women on the side. There are probably many closeted athletes and famous people in general. Most of these people aren’t murderers. Most of them aren’t even violent. Being closeted is oppressive, but it’s less oppressive than self-hate/self-resentment (which even many out people continue to contend with), living a life you don’t really want to live, growing up in and living within a homophobic and completely heteronormal environment, trauma from childhood abuse, the development of certain disorders that help trigger violent outbursts, CTE, etc. Saying he was closeted and therefore was violent and murdered people is way too easy and simple of answer and is almost an insult to closeted men.
Also, if the rumors are true and Aaron had a boy toy assistant that he went on vacation with multiple times and that his teammates kinda knew what was up with him in both the pros and in college then it’s very unlikely that his gf was entirely clueless. This woman allegedly tried to help cover up some of his “misdeeds”. She was not clueless.
(Queerty, please don’t upload the similar post you just rejected).
Juanjo
She’s not the first woman who did not know what the boyfriend was doing [or who] when she wasn’t with him. If he was repressing and compensating for his own feelings this would explain a lot about the self-destructive behaviour he indulged in and which ultimately resulted in him going to prison.
Donston
That’s a lil too easy of an answer. Many men have wives or girlfriends and yet are secretly having sex with non cis women on the side. There are probably many closeted athletes and famous people in general. Most of these people don’t kill. Most of them aren’t even violent. Being closeted is oppressive, but it’s far less oppressive than genuine self-hate/self-resentment (which even many out people continue to contend with), living a life you don’t really want to live, growing up in and living within a homophobic and completely heteronormal environment, trauma from childhood abuse, the development of certain disorders that help trigger violent outbursts, etc. Saying he was closeted and therefore was violent and killed people is way too easy of answer and is almost an insult to closeted men.
Also, if the rumors are true and Aaron had a boy toy assistant that he went on vacation with multiple times and that his teammates kinda knew what was up with him in both the pros and in college then it’s very unlikely that his gf was entirely clueless. She tried to help cover up one of his murders. The woman was not clueless.
Donston
That’s a lil too easy of an answer. Many men have wives or girlfriends and yet are secretly having sex with non cis women on the side. There are probably many closeted athletes and famous people in general. Most of these people aren’t murderers. Most of them aren’t even violent. Being closeted is oppressive, but it’s less oppressive than self-hate/self-resentment (which even many out people continue to contend with), living a life you don’t really want to live, growing up in and living within a homophobic and completely heteronormal environment, trauma from childhood abuse, the development of certain disorders that help trigger violent outbursts, etc. Saying he was closeted and therefore was violent and murdered people is way too easy and simple of answer and is almost an insult to closeted men.
Also, if the rumors are true and Aaron had a boy toy assistant that he went on vacation with multiple times and that his teammates kinda knew what was up with him in both the pros and in college then it’s very unlikely that his gf was entirely clueless. This woman allegedly tried to help cover up one of his murders. She was not clueless.
Donston
Yet, they still ended up posting them….
Lacuevaman
https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/exnfl-star-aaron-hernandez-sobbed-during-gay-confession-lawyer-says-in-new-book/news-story/8a25a677459f437f856f548066af7ac7
surreal33
I suppose it her pride that will not let her acknowledge she was in a relationship with gay man.
Society still believes (with good reason) all gay men are exactly as depicted in film and television. Since Mr Hernandez was not a stereotypical gay man it is easy for his fiancee to deny he was gay.
LVForward
I am both “gay and homosexual”and I am still “very much a man”.
hank123
Queerty: you have a moral obligation to change this headline. What she’s really saying here is that ‘I would have never known he was gay based on my experience, but I’m learning that’s it possible, and wish he had the courage to talk with me about it. And if he did, I would never have rejected him”
SnakeyJ
Yes! Why are they creating a fake story?
am
Who cares. The guy is dead, leave him alone.
draven
The first time I saw him I was like whoa he fine asF. My gaydar was like on full 100. I wish things would have worked out better for him. He seemed like he was a really cool person. I could say a lot but I’ll just say Rest In Peace Aaron. Sweet Angel……
DuMaurier
When a woman denies her boyfriend was gay by saying he was “very much a man”, I’ve got to pop in just for the comments. Unfortunately, what she actually said was actually much more nuanced, which means the posts are too, instead of the outraged indignation I was hoping for.
SnakeyJ
Title is very misleading and does NOT accurately represent what she said. She said she never saw any indication that he was gay. She doesn’t say that he wasn’t. She DOES go on to say that if he was then she could’ve been there for him and support him. Why, Queerty, are you making up a story here? The real one would be so much better.
PollyDarton
I just don’t know who to believe here. He’s really cute, though.
Kieran
Just looked at an article on Aaron Hernandez case on CNN website and they totally ignore Hernandez’ homosexuality. Fake News!
dubstepskater94
What the hell does this bitch mean “he was a man to me.” What… if you’re gay, you’re not a man anymore?
nitejonboy
I can’t help but feel that he wouldn’t have ended up on the road he ended up on if he had been allowed to be himself. But he is still responsible for his actions. I will say tho, damn that boy was fineee!
Frank Lee Mideer
I would assume SHE doesn’t want to appear as an inadequate woman.
edcalabro_re
At this point, does it really matter if he was gay or straight. He’s dead and rotting away in the ground. We need to re-focus on the total tragedy of this suicide, a young guy who had it all, looks, talent, family. Doctors have determined it was CTE after examining his brain tissue.
batesmotel
On the one hand her statement, “He was very much a man.” Is offensive and I don’t get offended. As if gay men are not very much men. Some are more effeminate yes, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but there are also gay men that are more man than a some straight men. But she at least redeems herself in the rest of her statement that she would’ve been fine with it, but she didn’t know. He could’ve confided in her about it and she’d be supportive. Although I’ve met many married straight men that discuss their occasional attraction to men and being curious, but their wives absolutely don’t know. So it’s not something these straight men confide in with their girl.
Donston
The thing is having some attraction to dudes or liking to hook up with guys on occasion isn’t going to send a man over the edge. Ultimately, his orientation and lifestyle doesn’t matter a whole lot, but it perhaps is a piece to the puzzle. According to the documentary about him he was apparently molested and felt shame about that his whole life, had violent and jealous and megalomanic instincts from a young age, had a couple of legit closeted relationships with dudes (not just hook-ups), confessed to his college gf that he was gay, and developed severe CTE during his years of playing football. So, no matter what exactly was going on, merely liking to occasionally hook up with guys or having some type of attraction to dudes wouldn’t have been his main issue.
And like I mentioned in a earlier post, I doubt Aaron’s finacee was anywhere near as naive about anything going on with Aaron as she tries to come off.
Saki
he sure was damn fineeeee
Rock-N-RollHS
Gay, bi, or st8, he was a violent murderer and is dead. Nothing wrong with a fantasy, I suppose. Guess if he forcibly kissed Anthony Rapp and grouped young guys, he would be far less appealing. Ah, the gays these days. . .
Saki
id still let him do me
JohnnyCockets
WTF Is wrong with you guys. This man is dead… let him be