Jonathan Kraft claims he made Bill Belichick release Aaron Hernandez after 2013 murder charge with the legendary head coach’s instinct ‘to play this thing out until the end’

New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft revealed that he was the one who implemented the decision to cut former tight end Aaron Hernandez following his arrest for murder.

In the latest episode of Apple’s episodic documentary ‘The Dynasty’, it was revealed that Jonathan, son of team owner Robert Kraft, was the one who made the choice to cut ties with Hernandez.

The tight end and New England native was arrested in the 2013 offseason for the murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd.

“Aaron was led out of his house in handcuffs and it was all over the television,” Jonathan recalled.

“I remember thinking, whatever warm feelings we have for Aaron, it seems like he’s the ultimate bad thing and we can’t have him on our team anymore.”

Hernandez was arrested in the 2013 offseason for the murder of Odin Lloyd

Jonathan added that both Robert Kraft and team head coach Bill Belichick “were out of the country, but I had a strong feeling we couldn’t wait.

After calling Robert, who “strongly agreed” with Jonathan’s call, they called Belichick, who was a bit more cautious.

“We called Bill, and Bill, as he always does, was always more measured,” Jonathan explained.

“At first he said, ‘You know, he’s not guilty yet.’ There were also competition problems. He didn’t want to lose a great football player.

“So Bill’s instinct would be to see this through to the end. I just knew we couldn’t see it through to the end.

“Not because of how it looked to us, but because we had to set a damn example. I mean, it’s like this guy is a murderer!’

The decision was difficult for Robert Kraft, who developed a close relationship with the Connecticut and Florida product.

‘Every time he saw me, he kissed me on the cheek. I mean, this is something I do with my sons,” Kraft recalled. “I think he saw me as a kind of loving father figure.”

Robert Kraft said he felt “snookered” by Hernandez’s insistence that he was innocent

‘I remember when my dear wife Myra died of ovarian cancer. Aaron presented me with a check for $50,000 for the fund we had set up in Myra’s memory. I said, ‘Aaron, this is very sweet. You don’t have to do this. You already have your contract,” Kraft said.

‘And he had tears in his eyes. “No,” he said. ‘This is very important to me. I want to do it for you.’ It really touched me. I felt he was what we wanted as the perfect Patriot player.”

But after Hernandez repeatedly insisted he was innocent of the crime, Kraft said his interactions with the player changed the way he viewed other people.

“I found out he was working out in the weight room. I immediately went downstairs and said, “Aaron, tell me, did you do this? Because if you did, I know you must have had a good reason. I’m going to get you the best lawyer we can get.” I’m going to do it at my expense,'” Kraft recalled.

“And he looked me straight in the eye, without blinking, anything, and said, ‘Mr. Kraft, I didn’t do that. I was in Rhode Island,’ or something like that.” And when he said it, I believed him.”

‘He changed my life and the way I look at people because to this day I can’t believe that’s how I started playing snooker.’

In the episode, it was revealed that Hernandez had reportedly requested a trade to a west coast team.

He told Belichick that “the safety of his girlfriend and his daughter was in danger.” When Hernandez was offered help from team security, he declined.

Bill Belichick called the incident an “unfortunate situation” but didn’t add much else

Belichick called the Hernandez incident an “unfortunate situation” and said he had “nothing to add to it.”

Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

He was also charged with double murder in 2012, but was acquitted in 2017.

Shortly after that acquittal, on April 19, 2017, Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell.

After his death, Hernandez’s brain was donated to Boston University to be examined for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).