Slater: 'Heart Is Broken' For All Affected By Hernandez Conviction
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots are back at Gillette Stadium this week for organized team activities, and it should come as no surprise that the Super Bowl champions found a big media gathering waiting for them on Tuesday.
Team captains Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater were the first Patriots to meet with the media since OTAs began on Monday, fielding questions about nearly everything from their win over the Seahawks in Arizona to Tom Brady's cliff diving.
But the two were also asked about the recent conviction of former teammate Aaron Hernandez, who was found guilty of first degree murder in the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd just last week.
"It's just saddening," said McCourty, who was drafted in 2010 with Hernandez. "You just talk about two lives being gone... You look at that whole thing, it's a saddening event, everything that went on."
"That's a very tragic, sad situation for so many different people for so many different reasons," Slater told reporters. "I just think that we all should keep everybody involved and affected by that situation in our prayers and in our thoughts. That's really all that I'll say on that. My heart is broken on so many different levels for that, and I just pray for everyone who's been affected by it."
When asked if that also meant keeping Hernandez in his prayers, Slater responded, "Certainly."
Hernandez was sent to MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole after his conviction, which is just 3.4 miles from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. He now awaits trial for a 2012 double homicide in Boston.