Robert Kraft details close relationship with Aaron Hernandez in latest ‘Dynasty’ episode
"He actually changed my life and how I look at people, because it just -- I, to this day, I can't believe I got snookered like that."
Apple TV+ released episodes 5 & 6 of “The Dynasty” Friday, rounding a tough corner of Patriots history during the two-decade trip down memory lane.
“At All Costs,” the sixth episode, opens with Aaron Hernandez staring straight down the barrel of the camera. Poised in front of a greenscreen, the viewer is locked in a staring contest with the former Patriot for nearly 20 seconds.
The scene sets a somber tone for the episode, which for 34 minutes details the Hernandez-era from 2010 – 2013. From NFL Draft night to the day he was arrested for the killing of Odin Lloyd, episode 6 highlights the shockwaves that Hernandez sent through the Patriots organization.
Few people featured in the episode seemed more distraught in recalling the unraveling of Hernandez than Robert Kraft. The Patriots owner admitted that his affection for the star tight end clouded his judgment of Hernandez’s off-field behavior.
“Aaron and I, we had a genuine feeling of connection — and love. Every time he’d see me, he would kiss me on the cheek,” Kraft said. “I mean, this is something I do with my sons. I think he viewed me, you know, sort of as a loving paternal figure.”
Kraft proceeded to share a story about an encounter he had with Hernandez in 2011, shortly after his late wife Myra died from ovarian cancer.
“Aaron handed me a check for $50,000 to the fund that we had set up in memory of Myra. I said Aaron, this is very sweet, you don’t need to do this, you’ve already got your contract. And he started getting tears in his eyes. ‘No,’ he said, ‘no, this is very important to me. I want to do it for you.’ It really touched me,” Kraft said.
The misjudgment of Hernandez went beyond Kraft, who described him as “the perfect Patriot player.” Ernie Adams, too, admitted that the team was debating signing Hernandez up until they called his name on draft night.
According to Adams, the team assumed that the University of Florida star would straighten out back in New England.
“We knew that there were issues. But you make a calculation on draft day: Look, we’re getting first-round talent for a fourth-round price. If it doesn’t work out, right, we can always cut him,” Adams said.
By time the Patriots front office saw the light, however, it was too late.
“I said, ‘Aaron, tell me, did you do this. Because if you did, I know you must have had some good reason. I’m gonna get you the best defense lawyer we can get, and I’ll do it at my cost,'” Kraft recalled. “And he looked me right in the eye, not blinking or anything, and said, ‘Mr. Kraft, I didn’t do that. I was in Rhode Island.’ Or something. And when he said it, I believed him. He actually changed my life and how I look at people, because it just — I, to this day, I can’t believe I got snookered like that,” Kraft said.
Episodes 7 & 8 of “The Dynasty” premiere Friday, March 8 on Apple TV+.
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