I have no idea what Bill Belichick will say to the media this afternoon. But here is an outline of what I think he should say (note: he shouldn't answer questions about Hernandez):
-Acknowledge the Aaron Hernandez situation
Use the word "we" a lot and talk about how shocking this was. Because it was shocking. It was just as shocking to the Patriots as it was to the rest of the world. NOBODY saw this coming. Kraft used the word "duped" but I think shocked/stunned is more accurate.
-Ongoing investigation
Point out that it's difficult to talk about Hernandez in detail due to his involvement in an ongoing murder investigation. That's one of the reasons you won't be answering questions about Hernandez.
-Talk about self-evaluation of evaluation of talent
Briefly mention that with every decision that the team makes, the team constantly evaluates itself and the criteria used to judge players. The learning process is never complete. Both positive and negative lessons are learned every season. And certainly in this case, "We are going to try to learn from this as much as possible."
-Moving on
Hernandez is no longer with the team. It's time for the team to move on from this and focus on football. There's nothing the team can do to undo what has been done. There's nothing the team can now do to make things right. The team will try to learn from this, but it's time for the team to get back to football, the only thing it can logically do at this point. Use the word "team" a lot.
Nothing will undo what happened. Some might want an apology from Belichick or the Pats, but any apology, even from the murderer, is empty. There are a few dozen men that will be getting together to play/coach football. None of them had anything to do with the murder. All they can do is play football. And all the coaches can do is try to learn from this.
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