Unnecessary Roughness

Publisher's Summary

The revelatory inside story of the trial and final days of New England Patriots superstar Aaron Hernandez, by his attorney and New York Times best-selling 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 work 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 listeners 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2018 Jose Baez (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"One of the best-known criminal-defense lawyers in America...The man who knows Aaron Hernandez's secrets." (Esquire)

Just As I Expected !

Kinda already knew everything that was written in this book!

There really wasn't any new information!

Hoping DJ's book will have a little more insight on how Aaron grew up and some knew information !

Overall it was a good listen...

I really am fond of Jose Baez. The book was well written.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

Intriguing from beginning to end. Great narration.
Can't stop listening but really a sad story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Baez Is Great

I love watching Jose Baez perform in the courtroom. This guy is the best trial lawyer in the country. He is a force.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Unnecessary Roughness

This was my first audio book!! I enjoyed it very much, but it didn't reveal a lot. Loved the photos that came with it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

surprised how good

I didn't expect I would enjoy this as much as I did. I had judgement against Jose, due to what I saw play out in media about the Casey Anthony trial. Listening to this made me really start to like the guy.

loved it

awesome job jose, blessings to all his friends and family, very informational..i loved it all

AARON

This was a great story but oh so sad. I think if he could have held on a bit longer, had another trial, his term would have been a lot shorter. What a great football star !!!!!

EFFING FANTASTIC!

BEST narrator! My whole perspective is completely changed. Wasn't a fan of Baez, but that dude is one smart man- I would want him defending me! All in all - great book! Highly recommended!

Such a sad, sad story...

I have now completed three books about the tragic life of Aaron Hernandez. I started with the James Patterson book - which reminded me of the entire case history. Next was the book by his brother Jonathan (DJ) Hernandez - this book gave insight to his childhood and discussed head injuries as a child that neither of the other books mentioned. I finished with this book, which I think was the best of the three. I’m very glad I read them in the order that I did. Mr. Baez’s insight into the legal process, especially in such a high profile case, was fascinating and well told. He retold the story in a conversational manner as if he was speaking to you as a friend or trusted colleague. I gained a new respect for defense attorneys.

Aaron’s story is tragic and knowing that his CTE was so advanced, it had to have affected his actions. The evidence of CTE in football is real. We will continue to hear about more and more players and former players suffering from this condition. Anyone who allows their child to participate in tackle football needs to know the facts.

I hope that when she is old enough to understand, that Aaron’s daughter will find some comfort in the knowledge that her father loved her and was not a monster. Really such a sad sad story.

Worth a listen

Definitely a good book. I feel like the end drug on for a bit- but other than that, loved it.