American Sports Story: What Bill Belichick Has Said About Aaron Hernandez

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.8-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick is portrayed in the FX/Hulu series American Sports Story. Josh Rivera leads the American Sports Story cast as Aaron Hernandez, the former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2015. The first two episodes of American Sports Story capture a basic understanding of Aaron Hernandez’s complicated upbringing, tumultuous family life, and accelerated path to becoming a Florida Gator before joining the NFL’s New England Patriots in 2010. American Sports Story portrays several NFL players and coaches including Hernandez.

Hernandez was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and was in the same draft class as legendary Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. As the Patriots head coach and de facto general manager, Belichick had an integral part in selecting Hernandez to join the Patriots. Led by superstar quarterback Tom Brady and a formidable two tight end formation with Gronkowski and Hernandez, Belichick led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 2012, only to come up short to the New York Giants. Belichick is portrayed by Norbert Leo Butz, known for his roles in Bloodline and The Girl from Plainville.

Bill Belichick Held A Press Conference In 2013 To Field Questions About Aaron Hernandez

Belichick unsurprisingly did not reveal much about his experiences and relationship with Hernandez

Known for his stoicism and being a man of few words throughout his coaching tenure with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick held a press conference in 2013 following the arrest of Aaron Hernandez and the Patriots’ swift decision to release him. He prefaced by saying, “As the coach of the team, I’m primarily responsible for the people that we bring into the football operation. Our players are generally highly motivated and gifted athletes that come from very different backgrounds. As far as the whole process goes, I can tell you that we look at every player’s history from the moment we start discussing it.”

Belichick fielded questions from various reporters following his July 24, 2013 press conference, which was held nearly a month after Hernandez had been arrested on June 26 of that year. “We’ll learn from this terrible experience. We’ll become a better team. I’ve been advised to address the situation once and it’s time for the New England Patriots to move forward.” Belichick essentially repeated these sentiments throughout the 22-minute press conference and was generally unwilling to open up about his personal experiences and opinions of Hernandez and the situation.

Bill Belichick Briefly Reflected On Aaron Hernandez During Apple TV’s The Dynasty Series

Belichick has yet to publicly express his opinions on Hernandez

In episode 6 of the Apple TV+ docuseries The Dynasty: New England Patriots, Bill Belichick still did reveal many personal details about Hernandez but called it an “unfortunate situation“. He also said that he didn’t have “anything to add to it” in response to Hernandez asking him to be traded to an NFL team on the West Coast in 2013.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, on the other hand, was much more open about it, saying he had been “duped” by the entire ordeal. Kraft asked Hernandez whether he did it or not and believed Hernandez when he said it wasn’t him, a scene that will likely be portrayed in American Sports Story. Kraft said of Aaron, “He actually changed my life and how I look at people, because it just — I, to this day, I can’t believe I got snookered like that.”