ReutersI wonder if Patriots coach Bill Belichick has anything to add to the recent Rolling Stone story regarding his handling of Aaron Hernandez?
“I don’t have anything to add,” Belichick said three straight times last night when asked about the story during Thursday’s post-game press conference.
Eventually, Belichick went “next question” with reporters, prompting them to move on to Belichick’s second-least favorite topic: Tim Tebow.
The Rolling Stone article reported, among other things, that former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had flown to the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to tell coach Belichick that Hernandez feared for his life — and that it was Belichick who told Hernandez to rent a “safe house” (which apparently became Hernandez’s well-publicized “flop house”). Eventually, Belichick reportedly threatened to trade or cut Hernandez if there were any more offseason incidents.
Patriots president Jonathan Kraft disputed those contentions on Belichick’s behalf during a pregame radio interview, which in hindsight apparently represented the team’s effort to do what Belichick has no use for doing — publicizing the team’s version of the events.
The assembled reporters eventually swung back around for another crack at the Hernandez angle.
Asked if the Hernandez situation will linger over the course of the season, Belichick said, “I told you I don’t have any comment on that. There’s nothing more I’m going to say about it.”
“I’m just saying as it relates to the football team,” the reporter said.
“Anything else?” Belichick responded.
It’s well known that Bill Belichick, when given the choice of saying something or saying nothing to the media, typically chooses to say nothing. But when a published report makes very specific allegations regarding his interactions with a former player who is now charged with murder, the failure to refute those allegations can become an implicit admission that the allegations are true. Having someone else in the organization share his version on a second-hand basis doesn’t cut it, if Belichick truly believes that what was said about him in the article is false.
Regardless of whether Belichick understands that (and he surely does), the only thing we’ll likely ever know with certainty is that he doesn’t have anything to add.
