DJ Hernandez is the older brother of Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL star who was convicted of murder and committed suicide in prison. He is also a former football player, coach, and author who has faced his own legal troubles in recent years. In this article, we will explore DJ Hernandez’s life, career, achievements, family, and net worth.
Table of Contents
Early Life, Age and Education
DJ Hernandez was born as Jonathan Hernandez on May 18, 1986, in Bristol, Connecticut. He is the son of Dennis Hernandez, a former high school football star who died from complications of hernia surgery in 2006, and Terri Valentine-Hernandez, a school secretary. He has a younger brother, Aaron Hernandez, who was born on November 6, 1989.
He attended Bristol Central High School, where he was a standout quarterback and linebacker. He led his team to two state championships and was named the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003. He also excelled in basketball and baseball.
DJ received a scholarship to play football at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where he switched positions from quarterback to wide receiver. He played for the Huskies from 2004 to 2008 and was a two-time captain. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2009.
Career
After college, DJ Hernandez pursued a career in coaching and business. He worked as an assistant coach at Brown University from 2011-2012, where he coached the quarterbacks. He then became the head coach at Southington High School in Connecticut in 2013-2014, leading the team to two state titles.
In 2015, he left coaching to focus on his family business, Casey’s Cafe, a sports bar and restaurant that he co-owned with his mother and brother. He also wrote a book called “The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understand My Brother”, which was published in 2018. The book chronicles DJ Hernandez’s relationship with Aaron Hernandez and his struggles to cope with his brother’s crimes and death.
DJ has also been involved in several charitable causes, such as the Aaron Hernandez Foundation, which he founded in 2012 to support youth sports programs. He has also donated money and equipment to his alma mater, Bristol Central High School.
Wife, Mother, Brother and Father
DJ Hernandez married Karen Hernandez in 2009. They have two children together: a daughter named Avielle Janelle Hernandez, born in 2012, and a son named Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Jr., born in 2014. The couple divorced in 2017.
DJ’s brother, Aaron Hernandez, was a star tight end for the New England Patriots from 2010 to 2012. He signed a $40 million contract extension with the team in 2012 but was released in 2013 after he was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Aaron Hernandez’s fiancee.
Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was also charged with two other murders that occurred in 2012 but was acquitted of those charges in 2017. Five days after his acquittal, Aaron Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell on April 19, 2017. He was 27 years old.
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DJ has expressed his love and support for his brother despite his crimes. He attended his brother’s funeral and spoke at his memorial service. He also visited him regularly in prison and exchanged letters with him. In his book, DJ Hernandez wrote that he believed his brother suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma that can affect mood, behavior, and cognition.
Legal Troubles
DJ Hernandez has faced several legal issues of his own in recent years. In May 2023, he was arrested after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with him crashing his car into a fence. He was charged with reckless driving, evading responsibility, interfering with an officer, and operating under suspension.
In June 2023, he was arrested again after he threw a brick through a window at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. He was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and breach of peace.
In July 2023, he was arrested for a third time after he threatened to kill a woman who had filed a restraining order against him. He also told her that he had visited UConn and Brown University to plan school shootings there. He was charged with second-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace.
In August 2023, he was arrested for a fourth time after he failed to appear for a court hearing related to his previous charges. He was held on a $250,000 bond and was deemed “gravely disabled and a danger to society” by police.
Net Worth
DJ Hernandez’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million as of 2023. He has earned his wealth from his football career, coaching career, business ventures, and book sales. He also inherited some of his brother’s assets after his death, including his $1.3 million mansion in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.
Physical Appearance
DJ Hernandez is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He has several tattoos on his body, including the word “Hernandez” on his back, a cross on his chest, and a portrait of his father on his arm.
DJ Hernandez BIO/Wiki
| Name | DJ Hernandez |
| Full Name | Jonathan Hernandez |
| Date of Birth | May 18, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Bristol, Connecticut |
| Age | 37 |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Puerto Rican |
| Education | Bristol Central High School, University of Connecticut |
| Occupation | Football Player, Coach, Businessman, Author |
| Spouse | Karen Hernandez |
| Children | Avielle Janelle Hernandez, Dennis Jonathan Hernandez Jr. |
| Parents | Dennis Hernandez (deceased), Terri Valentine-Hernandez |
| Siblings | Aaron Hernandez (deceased) |
| Net Worth | $1 million |
| Social Links | Instagram- #djhernandez Homepage- Mcphagwara.com |
Trivia & Facts
- DJ Hernandez was named after his father, Dennis Hernandez, who was nicknamed DJ.
- He wore the number 15 jersey in high school and college to honor his father, who wore the same number.
- He was a three-sport athlete in high school, playing football, basketball, and baseball.
- He set several school records as a quarterback at Bristol Central High School, including passing yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage.
- DJ was recruited by several Division I colleges, including Boston College, Syracuse, and Michigan State.
- He switched from quarterback to wide receiver at UConn because he wanted to play with his brother Aaron, who was a tight end.
- He caught 88 passes for 1,012 yards and seven touchdowns in his college career at UConn.
- DJ was named to the All-Big East Academic Team three times and graduated with a 3.2 GPA.
- He coached his brother Aaron in high school when he was a volunteer assistant at Bristol Central High School.
- He led Southington High School to two state championships as the head coach in 2013 and 2014.
- He co-owned Casey’s Cafe with his mother and brother until it closed in 2019 due to financial difficulties.
- He wrote a book about his brother Aaron in 2018 to share his perspective and clear some misconceptions about him.
- DJ founded the Aaron Hernandez Foundation in 2012 to support youth sports programs in memory of his brother.
- He donated $10,000 worth of football equipment to Bristol Central High School in 2019.