A new Tim Tebow interview published by Sports Illustrated sheds light on the 2007 bar fight incident ex-Florida Gator Aaron Hernandez was involved in.
Hernandez and Tebow were teammates at the University of Florida. Hernandez, who's incarcerated and facing life in prison, has been linked to a number of violent incidents off the field. One, a 2007 bar fight near the UF campus when Hernandez was just 17, involved Tim Tebow, whose name was listed in the police report.
Tebow, Hernandez and another dined out at The Swamp, a restaurant and bar near the campus. Tebow wasn't involved in the physical altercation, but the quarterback did try to intervene and mediate the dispute. Sports Illustrated writer Thomas Lake describes Tebow's account of the incident:
"Despite Hernandez's age, a server brought him two liquor drinks. Hernandez would later deny ordering the drinks, but he would not deny consuming them. The problem arose when it came time to pay for them.
"Hernandez apparently believed the drinks were free. The manager believed otherwise. He waved the bill around, saying, 'What about this?' He got in Hernandez's face. A woman tried to pay the bill, but the manager ignored her.
"Tebow tried and failed to make peace. Hernandez punched the manager, bursting his left eardrum, and ran away so fast that he left behind one black sneaker."
Lake went on to say Tebow cooperated with the police and helped arrange an interview between police and Hernandez later that night. Both players said they had been in contact with then-coach Urban Meyer; the police prepared a complaint against Hernandez for felony battery.
Two weeks later, however, the manager told police he was negotiating an agreement with the school and may drop the charges. Hernandez was never prosecuted.
Hernandez, 24, is currently being held without bail while awaiting trial for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez is also being investigated for his alleged involvement in a 2012 unsolved double homicide in Boston.
