Three weeks ago, somewhere in America, most likely in Greater Boston, a 20-something Patriots fan was a) enjoying a fresh container of muscle milk while b) wearing a No. 81 Aaron Hernandez shirt while c) sending Aaron Hernandez into the end zone in the last seconds of a big game on Madden NFL.
But not now. For while Hernandez may well be as innocent as a new-born baby as he prepares to answer charges that he killed a man, corporate America has already spoken:
The former Patriots tight end has lost his endorsement deal with Muscle Milk.
The Patriots have invited fans to trade in their No. 81 jerseys in exchange for a jersey with a number belonging to a player who has not been charged with murder.
And now this: EA Sports, which makes video games, has removed Aaron Hernandez from “Madden NFL 25” and “NCAA Football 14.”
A little something about me: I know less about video games than I know about ancient Chinese pottery, Flemish cooking and the presidency of William McKinley than I know about video games. (Fun Fact: John Hay, who was secretary of state at the time McKinley was assassinated, began his career as personal secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. There’s a great new bio of Hay, “All the Great Prizes,” written by John Taliaferro, that I highly recommend. Great. Summer. Read. Oh, and here’s a bonus Fun Sports Fact: Hay’s granddaughter, Joan Whitney Payson, was the original owner of the New York Mets.)
But I digress. While I know nothing about video games, I am not huffy and arrogant about it. I do not, in other words, believe I am too lofty an individual to play video games. Heck, I still believe “Green Acres” is one of the greatest television series in history. And I’ve watched every Superman TV show, movie serial and film ever made. My instant take on “Man of Steel” is that it’s powerful but deeply flawed. Too much time was spent trying to make Superman edgy. He’s not Batman, for cry-eye. He’s Superman. And the fight scene at the end was way too long.
But video games? Me? Not so much. So we spoke yesterday with a couple of guys who do know video games, and, well, we did a video on it. Please drop me a line at sbuckley@bostonherald.com if you believe Aaron Hernandez should still be included in the video games. I’d love to hear what you have to say about all that.
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