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Unnecessary Roughness

Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez

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Unnecessary Roughness

Written by: Jose Baez, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez - introduction
Narrated by: Ben Jeffrey, Shayna Small
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About this listen

 The New York Times bestseller: a revelatory inside story of the trial and final days of New England Patriots superstar Aaron Hernandez, by his attorney and New York Times bestselling author Jose Baez.When renowned defense attorney Jose Baez received a request for representation from Aaron Hernandez, the disgraced Patriots tight-end was already serving a life sentence for murder. Defending him in a second, double-murder trial seemed like a lost cause--but Baez accepted the challenge, and their partnership culminated in a dramatic courtroom victory, a race to contest his first conviction, and ultimately a tragedy, when Aaron took his own life days after his acquittal.

This riveting, closely-observed account of Aaron's life and final year is the only book based on countless intimate conversations with Aaron, and told from the perspective of a true insider. Written with the support of Hernandez's fiancée, Unnecessary Roughness takes readers inside the high-profile trial, offering a dramatic retelling of the race to obtain key evidence that would exonerate Hernandez, and later play a critical role in appealing his first conviction.

With revelations about Aaron's personal life that weren't shared at trial, and an exploration of the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy diagnosis revealed by his autopsy, Jose Baez's Unnecessary Roughness is a startling courtroom drama and an unexpected portrait of a fallen father, fiancé, and teammate.
 Entertainment & Celebrities Murder Sports True Crime Celebrity Crime Exciting

What the critics say

"In Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez, the attorney who got Hernandez acquitted of a 2012 double murder squashes the rumor about the jailhouse letters, sheds fascinating new details about Hernandez's trade request to Bill Belichick, and describes Hernandez's final days as an inmate and later suicide victim."
—The Boston Globe
"Jose Baez... shares his unique insight."
—Good Morning America
"[Unnecessary Roughness] features fascinating new details about Hernandez's life and final days leading up to his suicide."

—BroBible
"This new book asks a lot of questions. Questions about [Aaron's] sexuality. Questions about his friends.... [W]hat did the Patriots know about Hernandez's past, and when did they know it? There seems little question he loved the Patriots.... Aaron Hernandez-the New England kid who... paid a very high price for those football dreams of his."
—The Providence Journal
"A compelling read."
—New York Sports Day
"One of the best-known criminal-defense lawyers in America. . . The man who knows Aaron Hernandez's secrets."—Esquire
All stars
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I followed the case when it was happening in real time and after he died I didn’t think it about again. I watched the Netflix docuseries and decided to reinvigorate my mind with the issues that surround football. With the players, management etc. I also felt that the docuseries was more of a sensational piece rather than being informative. So, I came across Aaron’s brother’s book and decided not to read it because let’s be honest, the guy didn’t even show up for his brother’s trial so *shrug* I didn’t want to support him financially. This book had better reviews and was not only informative but gave a true look into what Aaron was like in his time of knowing Jose Baez. I’m conflicted. My mindset used to be it’s a or b. But knowing all the players who had CTE and what it does to your brain... made me feel like football truly is just a business. There’s nothing else to it. The players aren’t cared for once they leave the game. They are replaceable. Aaron should have had more support and the right people around him at all times however... would that have even mattered. It’s worth the read and some may say he shouldn’t be, but Baez humanizes Aaron in a way the media otherwise destroyed.

Fantastic read

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amazing book, the television documentaries left out a lot of important facts to vilify Aaron Hernandez.

the other side of the story

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