Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez died after hanging himself in his prison cell Wednesday morning.Prison officials confirmed Hernandez’s death in a statement.Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was acquitted of a double murder only days ago.Guards discovered the 27-year-old Hernandez in his single cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley just after 3 a.m. the Massachusetts Department of Corrections said.The former University of Florida and NFL star was pronounced dead at UMass Memorial-HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster.Hernandez was in a maximum security state prison not far from the Patriots’ home, which is in Foxborough, Mass.The corrections officers said hanged himself using a bed sheet that he attached to a cell window.Hernandez was emotional Friday as the jury read a not guilty verdict acquitting Hernandez of the 2012 fatal shootings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston.The Patriots are scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday, but a team spokesman said the club was not likely going to comment on the Hernandez suicide before the trip.
