Aaron Hernandez and his girlfriend Shayanna Jenkins will not be allowed to get married while the former New England Patriots tight end is in prison, Bristol County sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson told USA Today Sports on Tuesday.

Hodgson said he would deny Hernandez permission to marry his high school girlfriend, Jenkins, who is also the mother of his seven-month-old daughter, to prevent any sort of courtroom drama.

"I don't subscribe to that. I feel that those rights are things that you access on the outside, if you're a good citizen," Hodgson said. "We'll do everything we can to not have that happen."

Hernandez is currently lodged at the Bristol County House of Corrections, 60 miles south of Boston, where he is held without bail after he pleaded not guilty to the murder of friend and semi-professional footballer Odin Lloyd. He was moved to the facility after spending five days in a medical unit.

According to reports, he is locked up in a 10-foot-by-7-foot cell that has a bunk bed, a sink-toilet combination, a stool and a metal desk. Hernandez will not be allowed to have face-to-face interactions with other inmates for now, as officials want to analyze his reactions to the new surroundings.

"We want to see how [Hernandez] reacts to something like that because he's never been institutionalized before,” Hodgson told The Herald News. “With somebody of his stature, we want to make sure we're methodically moving the process along so that we don't create a problem."

Hernandez is currently allowed three hours outside his cell, and during this time, he can use the recreation facilities provided within the compound. The former NFL player is said to be a model inmate, and has not made any special requests yet.

“He seems to be acclimating very well. He doesn’t seem to be nervous,” Hodgson told The Herald News.

RELATED STORIES