the aaron hernandez jury and alternate jurors sat down as a group with cnn 's anderson cooper on thursday .
the jury wanted to make it known that they gave hernandez a fair trial and did not let his notoriety get in the way of their difficult decision making .
hernandez , 25 , was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on wednesday for the 2013 murder of odin lloyd .
before his arrest , hernandez was a star tight-end for the new england patriots , with a $ 40million five-year contract .