The true story behind “American Sports Story Aaron Hernandez”

Editor’s Note: The following describes discussions about suicide that may serve as triggers.Robert F. Kennedy is no stranger to telling fascinating stories inspired by true events. His American crime history Series included the OJ Simpson Trial, the murder of Gianni Versaceand the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in three seasons each. For each of these iterations, Murphy develops fascinating scripts that delve into these events and give the viewer a glimpse of how things might have really played out behind the scenes. Each cast offers impressive performances that often lead to Emmy awards (as winners like Courtney B. Vance as Johnny Cochran, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden in the first season and Darren Criss Andrew Cunanan for the second). And now, Murphy has now turned his attention to another NFL player whose career ended in disgrace (and murder).

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez, Premiering on FX on September 17, The 40 Fingers will explore the life of Hernandez, who was once a promising football phenom. He started playing football as a young child and quickly fell in love with the game. After some challenges in his youth, he still managed to get into the University of Florida, where he began to make a name for himself as an extremely talented tight end. In 2010 He was drafted into the NFL to play for the New England Patriots. He appeared in Super Bowl XLVI, but still made headlines for drug use and there were rumors that he was involved in several violent incidents during those years. In August 2012, the Patriots extended Hernandez’s contract for five years and $39.58 million, with a signing bonus of $12.5 million (the highest signing bonus ever received by an NFL tight end). It seemed as if the talented Hernandez, who was only 23 at the time, had the world at his feet. That is, until everything around him fell apart.

Aaron Hernandez experienced a dramatic fall from grace

On 26 June 2013 Hernandez was charged with premeditated murder and five other weapons offenses. Within hours, the Patriots quickly released him from the team, and Hernandez’s promising career came to an abrupt end. The murder charge was related to the death of Hernandez’s friend Odin Lloyd, whose body was found in a field not far from Hernandez’s home. At first, the motive seemed unclear, and Hernandez pleaded not guilty. The defense tried to point the finger at the other two men who were present at the time of the murder, but there was plenty of physical evidence linking Hernandez to the crime. After seven days of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict, resulting in a mandatory life sentence without parole. It seemed Hernandez’s time on the outside was officially over.

But there was another strange element to Hernandez’s story. While investigators were looking into Lloyd’s death, They discovered a key piece of evidence that may have linked Hernandez to a drive-by shooting in Boston in 2012. Prosecutors said Hernandez felt disrespected when a man bumped into him and spilled a drink on him at a nightclub; as he left the club, Hernandez allegedly shot the man and his friend in their car. That evidence was not admitted at Hernandez’s first trial because it would have biased the jury (but prosecutors questioned whether Lloyd’s death was related to his knowledge of the 2012 murders). In April 2017, while still serving his sentence, Hernandez was acquitted of double murder charges. Although it was a bittersweet victory for Hernandez (he would continue to serve his life sentence), the athlete’s story would have one final twist.

Ryan Murphy’s “American Sports Story” deals with Aaron Hernandez’s tragic fate

Just days after it was announced that he had been acquitted in the second trial, Hernandez was found dead in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts. The 27-year-old had written “John 3:16” on his forehead before taking his own life. There were no previous signs that Hernandez had suicidal thoughtstherefore, it was a shock to those working at the facility (as well as his family and friends). However, Hernandez left several suicide notes, including to his fiancée, her daughter, and his lawyer.

A few months later, a report was released stating that Hernandez’s brain had been examined posthumously. He suffered from a severe form of the degenerative brain disease CTE (or chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Most notably, his brain was atrophied in places and there were large perforations in the central brain membrane, as well as “deposits of tau protein in the frontal lobes of the brain in nerve cells around small blood vessels.” This is a classic example of how CTE shows up in brain scans, and it was obvious that as a young man, Hernandez’s brain resembled that of players who would be well into their 60s. CTE is believed to occur due to frequent and severe impacts to the brain (which are constant in football).

A CTE diagnosis cannot be confirmed until after a person has died, but it has been diagnosed in more than 100 football players. Hallmarks of CTE include aggressive behavior, mood swings, and misjudgments (all of which could potentially explain part of Hernandez’s descent into violence and crime). There have also been well-known players such as Junior Seauwho also committed suicide after years of playing football. Following these findings, Hernandez’s estate sued the NFL for $20 million on behalf of his then-6-year-old daughter, claiming the league was responsible for the brain injuries he suffered. In 2019, a federal judge dismissed the case, saying Hernandez had technically missed the deadline to settle for $4 million as part of a class-action lawsuit because he had already stopped playing football by the time the lawsuit began and his daughter was not eligible to sue for the $20 million separately.

Hernandez’s story is shocking and involves many rumors (especially about his sexuality) and disbelief about how low the once promising athlete had sunk. One thing is for sure: the public is still fascinated by this athlete and his downfall. In 2020, Netflix released a three-part docuseries called Killer Inside: The Ghost of Aaron Hernandez which highlighted the many sides of the football player, including his difficult childhood and relationship with his parents, the romantic entanglements he had and his violent side. Even during The Roast of Tom Brady which aired on Netflix in May, Hernandez still appeared in numerous jokes (as disturbing as that may be). Now that Murphy is coming out with his own interpretation of events, Hernandez will forever be remembered as a representative of the dark side of American sports.

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez will premiere on September 17 on FX and will be available to stream on Hulu.

Watch on Hulu