Ahead of a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup, an Ole Miss assistant coach made a joke about the Rebels current coaching situation by invoking convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez.
Joe Judge, the Rebels’ quarterbacks coach, worked for the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2019 as an assistant coach. His first season was the last campaign that Hernandez took part in.
Speaking to the media this week before the Fiesta Bowl matchup against Miami, Judge compared the current Ole Miss coaching situation to living next to the former tight end.
‘My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez — I know this is still more chaotic,’ Judge said.
It’s, perhaps, a bit of an overblown statement considering Hernandez was later convicted of murdering a man and committed suicide in his jail cell.
Yet, Judge seems to claim that the coaching room in Oxford is more chaotic than living next to him.
Ole Miss QB coach Joe Judge (R, next to Eli Manning, L) made a savage Aaron Hernandez joke
Judge said the Ole Miss coach’s room is ‘more chaotic’ than living next to the ex-Patriots star
Hernandez was found guilty of murder in 2015 then committed suicide inside his jail cell in 2017
Before the CFP began, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin departed for LSU – bringing much of his coaching staff with him.
However, many of the assistants who will eventually move to Baton Rouge full time have since returned to help coach Ole Miss through the playoffs.
Apparently, in Judge’s eyes, that’s worse than being neighbors with Hernandez the same year he murdered 27-year-old Odin Lloyd.
Lloyd was found dead in the Massachusetts town of North Attleboro after being shot by the Patriots star.
Hernandez was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The Patriots released him the same day.
In 2015, Hernandez was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Judge and Ole Miss take on Miami on Thursday evening with a trip to the national championship game on the line. The winner of that game takes on the victor in the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.
