Florida removes Aaron Hernandez’s All-American brick from stadium

Former New England Patriots and Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez hasn’t been found innocent or guilty yet in the murder of Odin Lloyd, but that hasn’t stopped his former school from putting as much distance as possible between itself and him.

On Wednesday, and as part of an ongoing process to remove Hernandez’s likeness from the program’s facilities, UF removed the brick at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium celebrating his 2009 All-American season.

Here are pictures of the removal:

Aaron Hernandez All-American brick coming down. pic.twitter.com/gCflaDAXjS

— Ted Spiker (@ProfSpiker) July 25, 2013

Here’s what’s left of the Aaron Hernandez brick- contractor was told to take it back to their plant in Lake City. pic.twitter.com/UZvvMdjoE7

— Julie Quittner (@JQuittner) July 25, 2013

And a statement from the UAA:

Full statement from UAA on the Hernandez Brick’s removal pic.twitter.com/8kV6AmlRbV

— Julie Quittner (@JQuittner) July 25, 2013

It’s understandable why Florida would want to remove anything carrying Hernandez’s name, and it’s a decision that likely won’t be met with a lot of opposition. At the same time, it doesn’t change the fact that Hernandez and UF, and what the tight end accomplished on the field with the Gators, will always be connected.