Nearly a week before former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell, Patriots' coach Bill Belichick called his former player's situation a tragedy.

Belichick was interviewed on last Thursday’s CNBC’s “Power Lunch” with Suzy Welch.

In the interview, Welch asked Belichick to play a word association game. When Welch brought up Hernandez's name, Belichick responded with, "Tragic."

“Heartbreaking,” Welch responded.

"Yes,” Belichick said. “That would be another word.”

Massachusetts Department of Corrections officials found Hernandez hanged in his cell early on Wednesday morning after an apparent suicide.

Hernandez had been found not guilty of a 2012 double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado on Friday, but was already serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder Odin Lloyd.

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“Our confidence is not going to waver because we didn’t shoot well tonight,” said Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, shown here last month with Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

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Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com