Bill Belichick Recalls 'Very Smart' Aaron Hernandez: ‘Lot of Things to Like'

Bill Belichick reflected on coaching the late Aaron Hernandez during their time together with the New England Patriots, before Hernandez was convicted of murder and subsequently took his own life in prison.

"Aaron was very smart. He was different," Belichick, 74, said Tuesday, May 19, on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast.

In April 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd, who was killed in June 2013. Hernandez was drafted by the Patriots in 2010 and played all three of his NFL seasons with the team, under Belichick as head coach.

Before his arrest, Belichick recalled how the franchise "gave him a contract extension a year before that."

The Patriots signed Hernandez to a five-year, $39.58 million contract, which included $15.95 million guaranteed and a $12.5 million signing bonus in August 2012, less than a year before Lloyd was murdered.

"There was obviously a darker side to Aaron," Belichick told Hannity, 64, clearly struggling to know what to say.

Hannity noted that talking about Hernandez "seems painful to you."

"There were a lot of things to like about Aaron, and then Aaron had another side to him that I guess a lot of us didn't see," Belichick said.

Hannity argued that for individuals like Hernandez, "their blessing is sometimes their curse."

"I don't know what was going on with him," Hannity added. "I've read so much about it. But to me, it's tragic."

Belichick responded, "I don't know either. Yes, that's a good way to put it."

Two days after Lloyd was killed, the police searched Hernandez's home in connection with the murder. At the time, Hernandez told Belichick that he had nothing to do with it, according to a November 2018 story published in the Boston Globe.

The Patriots cut Hernandez on June 26, 2013, less than two hours after he was arrested in Lloyd's murder. Hernandez was taken into custody seven months after the birth of his only child, daughter Avielle, shared with high school sweetheart Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez.

Belichick addressed the media about Hernandez for the first time the following month.

"It's a sad day, really a sad day on so many levels," Belichick said at the time. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim and I extend my sympathy really to everyone who has been impacted. A young man lost his life. His family has suffered a tragic loss and there's no way to understate that."

Belichick added, "When I was out of the country, I learned about the ongoing criminal investigation that involved one of our players and I and other members of the organization were shocked and disappointed in what we had learned. Having someone in your organization that's involved in a murder investigation is a terrible thing. After consultation with ownership, we acted swiftly and decisively."

Hernandez was found dead of an apparent suicide in his prison cell in April 2017. He was 27.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM.