The Patriots made their statement this morning, when they released tight end Aaron Hernandez upon his arrest for murder.
So they don’t feel compelled to have players talking about him.
The Patriots apparently denied interview requests for their draft picks at the NFL Rookie Symposium and a related Play 60 event, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com and producer Eddie Borsilli of SiriusXM NFL Radio.
While circling the wagons rarely comes off as the right play, there’s also a ceiling on what the rookies could have added to the conversation. None of them have played a game with Hernandez, and beyond some OTA and minicamp time, they wouldn’t have had much access to him to have any insight.
At some point, Patriots players will have to address the shocking turn of events involving Hernandez. But those questions are probably better asked to those who actually knew him.