The Crystal Ball 2013 The Patriot Way

I have been hung up on how fast the Patriots cut Aaron Hernandez and erased all evidence of his ever being associated with the team. Their methods have been so meticulous, they even offered fans who purchased Hernandez jerseys the opportunity to trade them in for another jersey of equal value of any other Patriot player. The team exchanged approximately 2,500 jerseys at a cost of roughly $250,000. That's the cost of good public relations these days.

While I do not blame or consider the team in any way associated with the heinous actions allegedly committed by Hernandez, I am curious as to why, and how, they were able to move so swiftly and thoroughly. They jettisoned Hernandez and his association with the Patriots so swiftly it felt like they anticipated something like this would happen one day. It was almost like they had Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction at the ready. I find their efficiency increasingly curious.

Until recently, the team remained silent on Hernandez and the case against him. Other than offering the jersey trade in, and locking Hernandez out of the building before he was even arrested, the Patriots have been conspicuously quiet on the matter. That changed rather dramatically, in my opinion, when team owner Robert Kraft released public statements claiming that Hernandez duped the entire Patriots organization. While I understand Kraft does not want his team to be associated with murder as it really hurts ticket and merchandising sales (see Ravens, Baltimore), and they would rather maintain and image of a naively stupid team rather than a group of mercenaries willing to employ even murders to win at all costs. But to publicly claim his entire organization was fooled by one man, and expect the public to buy such a story, is beyond absurd. A claim like that can only evoke from yours truly a one word response. Bullshit.

I smell it, you smell it, we all smell it. This is a load of crap. Kraft is claiming that himself and the entire Patriots organization, a multi million dollar business, never knew of any other problems with Hernandez other than some admitted recreational marijuana use. I'm not sure if Kraft is trying to convince the general public, the NFL or himself. There's no way that statement could even be possible. Every team has personnel in charge of checking up on known troublemakers. They keep detectives and investigators on call to find out information when needed. NFL players are given more thorough background checks when they are drafted than government agencies.

When Mike Brown, president and owner of the Cincinnati Bengals comes out and states that his organization steered clear of Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL Draft due questions surrounding Hernandez, his lifestyle and behavior that carries a ton of weight with me. Especially when you consider that the Bengals organization have not necessarily been shy about drafting players of questionable character but high in talent, which described Hernandez to a tee. So by claiming that the Patriots were duped by Hernandez, Kraft is either saying that A) his organization doesn't do enough research and background checks on the players they draft B) The Patriots are a completely naive organization or C) Hernandez is a brilliant criminal mastermind and master of deception.

Well, I can refute A and B in one fell swoop. Considering the chicanery and win at all costs model Belichick has employed for years, I know there is no way they do not look at every angle, every piece of information available and look for every skeleton in a players life, both past and present. You think a man who secretly videotaped opposing coaches and sidelines, against the express dictate of the NFL, wouldn't do at least as much, if not more, investigating of potential draft picks than the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that has had 5 winning seasons since 1990? And I'm sorry, but the "we didn't know" excuse was worn paper thin when Belichick tried to deploy it when he got busted for filming Eric Mangini's pathetic Jets team.

As for C, if Hernandez was so brilliant, how come he was stupid enough to leave chewing gum that contained his DNA at the crime scene; left shell casings that were traced to his gun at both the crime scene and found in a rented car; get caught on camera before and after the murder with said gun in his hand; destroyed his cell phone and home surveillance system even though information from both can still be acquired; left a trail of other incriminating evidence and actions that makes even O.J. Simpson shake his head in disbelief. Does this sound like a man who could fool an entire multi-million dollar organization?

The Patriots knew about Hernandez and his troubles in college and possibly the people with whom he associated in Bristol. Most likely, they were at least aware of the potential trouble Hernandez could get himself in, although I doubt they calculated murder into their algorithm of risk/reward. To be able to exorcise him from their records like an emergency data dump they had to be at least tangentially aware of his potential criminality. They may not have known the extent of his potential criminal behavior, but I'll bet they knew he was a simmering pot of untapped trouble.

And come on Mr. Kraft. No one gives a 5 year, $41 million contract to a person with a questionable past unless said person has been fully vetted and the team believes he will be around to fulfill said contract. The Patriots investigated Hernandez and felt he was worth the risk. They were sadly wrong. But Robert Kraft trying to convince us that they never new Hernandez was a bad man is bullshit. And Kraft trying to portray himself and his team as naive, innocent babes by playing dumb is insulting to fans, the memory of Odin Lloyd and anyone with an ounce of critical thinking. But as Bill Belichick established long ago, lying and cheating for your own benefit until you get caught and then playing dumb is the true Patriot Way