Sports
Sports

Bill Belichick called Hernandez case ‘tragic’ a week before suicide

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez stands at the defense table when court is adjourned without a verdict on day five of jury deliberations in his double murder trial at Suffolk Superior Court on Thursday, April 13, 2017. Hernandez is standing trial for the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado who he encountered in a Boston nightclub. The former NFL player is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.

Credit: Nancy Lane

Credit: Nancy Lane

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez stands at the defense table when court is adjourned without a verdict on day five of jury deliberations in his double murder trial at Suffolk Superior Court on Thursday, April 13, 2017. Hernandez is standing trial for the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado who he encountered in a Boston nightclub. The former NFL player is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.
By Juliakate E Culpepper
April 19, 2017

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.

About the Author

Juliakate E Culpepper
More Stories

Keep Reading

Kennesaw State head coach Antoine Pettway reacts after his team beat Georgia State 92-69 at VyStar Arena, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Kennesaw. (Colin Hubbard for the AJC)

Credit: Colin Hubbard

Kennesaw State rolls to third straight win over rival Georgia State

Kennesaw State won its third game in a row, this time against in-state rival Georgia State, 92-69. It was the Owls' third straight win.

The last mile to Atlanta: The two-team race for the Celebration Bowl

A final showdown stands between Jackson State, Prairie View A&M and the biggest spotlight in HBCU football. 

Culinary request restarts the basketball rivalry between Georgia State and Kennesaw State

On Saturday at 3 p.m. in VyStar Arena, Kennesaw State will host Georgia State, the third meeting in the last three years between the two in a recently-renewed rivalry.

The Latest

Kennesaw State head coach Antoine Pettway reacts after his team beat Georgia State 92-69 at VyStar Arena, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Kennesaw. (Colin Hubbard for the AJC)

Credit: Colin Hubbard

Kennesaw State rolls to third straight win over rival Georgia State

The last mile to Atlanta: The two-team race for the Celebration Bowl

Culinary request restarts the basketball rivalry between Georgia State and Kennesaw State

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

The 2020 election interference case is gone, but it can’t be forgotten

The decision by a Georgia prosecutor not to pursue the massive Trump election interference case leaves some bad deeds unpunished.

Officials to install opioid reversal kits in Georgia’s public schools

The kits will contain Narcan, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restore breathing.

Odom-led comeback nets Conference USA championship for Kennesaw State

The Owls continue to be one of the most intriguing stories of the season, going from a two-win season to a conference title and beating the defending league champions.