Bill Belichick made his first media appearance since Aaron Hernandez's arrest. The New England Patriots coach admitted he felt "disappointed and hurt" by Hernandez's situation, but was not going to change the team's process of recruiting players.
Belichick appeared at the podium late. He looked uninterested, as usual, and gave one glance around the packed press room before getting right to the point.
"OK, going to address the situation involving Aaron Hernandez," he said.
The three-time Super Bowl winning coach then began reading from a prepared statement on the podium. He called it a "sad day" and extended his thoughts and prayers to the family of the victim.
He told reporters he had learned about Hernandez's criminal investigation while he was out of the country and was "shocked and disappointed with what we had learned." He then consulted with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and they acted "quickly and decisively" and released Hernandez.
Belichick said he was the one primarily responsible with bringing players in, and he felt "disappointed and hurt" by Hernandez's alleged crime.
He next addressed the team's recruiting process, which came under scrutiny for taking risks on players with "red flags" like Hernandez. He called the process far from perfect, but said they've used it since 2000 and would remain using it.
"I always try to do what I think is best for the football team," Belichick said.
There would be tweaks to the recruiting process and continual evaluations, but the fundamentals of how they look at players would remain unchanged.
Before taking questions, Belichick said he has been advised not to comment on the ongoing criminal proceedings out of respect for the legal system. He made it clear going forward that he would not comment on anyone involved in the ongoing judicial process, and he advised his players to do the same.
Asked if the team would be less apt to take risks on players, Belichick replied, "Everyone is a case-by-case basis."
Another reporter asked how the team could draft someone like Hernandez, who scored a one on the team's maturity test. Belichick answered that the test is far from one-hundred percent accurate.
Belichick also admitted, when asked, that he and the team were unaware of Hernandez's possible link to a 2012 double homicide and an alleged shooting in February.
While the Patriots are ready to move on, Hernandez faces life in prison. He appeared in court on Wednesday and will remain in jail at least until Aug. 22, when the probable cause hearing is scheduled to happen.
