The Patriots lost $250,000 on Aaron Hernandez jersey swaps.
The Patriots lost $250,000 on Aaron Hernandez jersey swaps. (USATSI)

It didn't take long for the NFL and the Patriots to stop selling Aaron Hernandez jerseys online following the tight end getting arrested and charged with murder. The Pats took things a step further by offering a free exchange over the weekend for Patriots fans who wanted to rid themselves of their Hernandez jerseys.

The swap was quite popular with more than 1,200 fans showing up to flip their jerseys. And all told, the Patriots ended up losing about $250,000 during the swap, team owner Robert Kraft said Monday when speaking on Hernandez for the first time publicly since the tight end's arrest.

Additionally, Kraft, who believes the team was "duped" by the tight end, said cutting Hernandez -- and all the Patriots decisions in this matter -- are not about money, but rather "principle."

“It was principle, over money or cap or anything else,” Kraft said via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Kraft also said that the Patriots planned to "destroy the jerseys by grinding them up and donating the material for recycling purposes."

Say whatever you want about how much $250,000 actually matters to a Benjamin Franklin printing press like the Patriots -- clearly the team is interested in cutting ties to Hernandez, regardless of the financial cost.