IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa Assistant Coach Brian Ferentz commented on Wednesday’s first-degree murder conviction of Aaron Hernandez, who he coached with the New England Patriots and whose brother is a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes.

Q. You coached Aaron Hernandez and you coached alongside his brother here. First of all, how difficult what happened today is it for you personally, and then also to be there to try to support DJ?

BRIAN FERENTZ: These things are unfortunate, and really I don’t think it benefits Iowa football or myself to comment on the situation other than it’s tragic. It’s certainly much more tragic for the victims involved, but these types of things, they affect everyone. I feel bad for DJ and for his family, but I feel worse for the victims in this case. Things like this, again, I think the reason you don’t comment is what can you really say. I don’t know what I could say that would make any sense to me or to anyone in here and wouldn’t be picked apart. I think it’s very difficult for DJ, and I think it’s more difficult for the victims. I wish it hadn’t happened, but it did.