BILL Belichick shut down questions about Aaron Hernandez’s CTE after his suicide, but there was a crucial difference with American Sports Story.

NFL star and convicted murderer Hernandez is the subject of the FX series American Sports Story, a true-crime drama executive-produced by Ryan Murphy.

3

3

But there is a key difference between American Sports Story’s depiction of the gruff Belichick‘s response to Hernandez’s arrest, and what actually happened.

The FX show depicts Belichick as giving a trademark curt statement about Hernandez’s crimes, and saying he won’t speak about it again.

However, in reality, Belichick gave a long and introspective press conference following Hernandez’s arrest.

In the July press conference, Belichick said Hernandez’s arrest was the first he had learned of his problems with the law.

“I and other members of the organization were shocked and disappointed with what we learned,” he said.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft also said he was “duped” by Hernandez and had no knowledge of his troubles.

Hernandez, a college football star, was drafted by Belichick’s New England Patriots in the 2010 NFL draft, forming a dominant tight end duo with teammate Rob Gronkowski.

In the 2013 offseason, he was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee.

Hernandez was released immediately by the Patriots following his arrest, and in 2015, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

While on trial for Lloyd’s murder, Hernandez was indicted for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012.

He was acquitted after a 2017 trial but, just days later, Hernandez was found dead in his cell by suicide.

After his death, Hernandez was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can be caused by head injuries during football.

This has led to speculation over how the condition may have affected Hernandez’s behavior.

In September 2017, after it was revealed Hernandez’s family was suing the NFL and the Patriots, Belichick was asked about what the team did to protect players against degenerative brain disease.

“We cover a lot of things on the medical end,” Belichick said.

“Not just one specific thing. We cover a lot.”

Belichick was then asked a follow-up question about his views on how the NFL handles informing players about head injuries.

“I’m not a doctor,” he replied. “I’m not a trainer. I’m a coach.

“The medical department, they handle the medical part of it. I don’t do that.”

In 2013, Rolling Stone reported that Belichick warned Hernandez that he faced being cut after missing spring workouts.

Hernandez also got into a domestic dispute with his wife involving the police.

Episode 10 of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, airs at 10 pm ET on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, on FX.