In team meetings and player meetings, in groups of players talking casually, or texting, or just hanging out, one thing has become clear about the New England Patriots when it comes to Aaron Hernandez: he has been written out of the Patriots' history, their very DNA, the way a character is written out of a soap opera.
Interviews with several Patriots players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, almost echoed the sentiments of Tom Brady who told Sports Illustrated's Peter King that he's "moved on" from Hernandez.
Some Patriots players went further saying it's not just that they are putting Hernandez behind them. It's that they are acting like he was never a Patriot.
"We're going about our business like Aaron Hernandez never existed," said one veteran.
And good for the Pats. Don't blame them.
Privately, it's the same. Players tell me the initial shock and disbelief of the charges against Hernandez were replaced by anger that he would allegedly do these things. Now, those emotions are replaced with an almost aggressive indifference.
The Patriots are doing what they did after Spygate. They are again adopting an us-versus-the-world mantra. No matter what the Patriots say publicly this is what they are doing.
In many ways, from what I'm hearing, the Patriots have melded the Hernandez situation, with the loss of so many offensive weapons like Wes Welker, into one big screw you to doubters.
"People think we're going to crack under pressure," said one player. "We'll see."
The Patriots don't crack. They never have under Bill Belichick and Brady. They are not infallible or unbeatable but they are also definitely not without an almost historic stubbornness. Much of that comes from Brady and Belichick.
The Patriots will spend these early days of camp talking as little as possible about Hernandez. Publicly, they will say the expected, which is almost nothing.
Then, after that, Hernandez will be forgotten.
