Ryan Murphy's New Anthology Series 'American Sports Story' to Focus Its First Season on Aaron Hernandez

Everything to know about the upcoming series.

Author:
Emma Dibdin
May 8, 2024

Ryan Murphy’s blockbuster American Story franchise is expanding its horizons this year. The first season of American Sports Story, a new anthology series focusing on extraordinary true stories in the world of sports, will focus on the swift rise and nightmarish fall of New England Patriots star player Aaron Hernandez.

Here's everything you need to know about the first installment of American Sports Story, including details on the true story of Hernandez, who has been cast to portray the former NFL star and his family, and how to watch the show once it premieres.

What is American Sports Story?

In the summer of 2021, FX announced that it was ordering two new spinoff shows from the American Story franchise, which began in 2011 with American Horror Story and expanded into more prestige territory in 2016 with American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. The two new anthology series are American Love Story, the first season of which will focus on the courtship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, and American Sports Story, which will focus on the tragic story of NFL player Aaron Hernandez.

“More than a decade ago, Ryan Murphy expressed interest in expanding the American Horror Story model to be able to tell different American stories, which have long captivated so many of us. It was a brilliant idea,” Walt Disney TV entertainment chairman Dana Walden said in a statement at the time. “Adding these new installments to the franchise will enable Ryan, Brad, Nina and Brad and their talented teams to tackle riveting stories outside of the horror and crime genres. This group has done a truly amazing job of examining situations we think we know everything about, and making us realize that there was so much more there than what we had been told.”

What will American Sports Story Season 1 be about?

The first installment of the series is based on the 2018 podcast series Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc, which was a co-production of the Boston Globe and Wondery. The season will chart the rapid rise and dramatic fall of NFL tight end Aaron Hernandez, a superstar player whose off-pitch behavior became increasingly erratic, culminating in his arrest and conviction for murder during the 2013 off-season. Over the course of 10 episodes, American Sports Story will explore “the connections of the disparate strands of [Hernandez’s] identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture.”

What did Aaron Hernandez do?

After playing college football for the Florida Gators, Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in April of 2010. Although he was a highly talented player, he wasn’t selected until the fourth round of the draft, because of his troubled history off the pitch, which included reportedly assaulting a restaurant manager in 2007. Some areas of concern were also flagged on the NFL’s personality tests—specifically, Hernandez received the lowest possible score for “emotional maturity”.

Despite these red flags, Hernandez excelled professionally during his first three seasons with the Patriots. But by 2013, his violent streak had become impossible to hide. He allegedly shot a friend, Alexander Bradley, in the face in February of 2013, leaving him blind in one eye. Bradley refused to cooperate with the police in the criminal investigation, so charges were never filed, but he did file a civil suit against Hernandez later that year.

On June 26, 2013, Hernandez was arrested and charged with the murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd, whose body had been found nine days prior in an industrial park close to the athlete’s home.

When his trial began in the spring of 2015, Hernandez pleaded not guilty to the crime. Prosecutors argued that he had become enraged at Lloyd following a disagreement at a bar in Boston, and that he had driven his friend to the secluded industrial park in the middle of the night and shot him five times.

How many years did Aaron Hernandez get?

On April 15, 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, as well as five weapons charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After serving two years in prison, Hernandez was put on trial again for a separate 2012 double murder, but he was acquitted of this crime.

What was the cause of Aaron Hernandez's death?

Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell on April 19, 2017, less than a week after his acquittal in the double murder. He had died by suicide, hanging himself with a bedsheet that he attached to the window. Prison officials said Hernandez had not been considered a suicide risk at the time.

A posthumous examination of Hernandez’s brain showed that he had an extraordinarily severe case of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain condition caused by repeated head trauma. CTE can cause memory loss, impaired judgement and impulse control, depression and dementia. Playing football, whether professionally or not, significantly increases the risk of developing CTE.

Who plays Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story?

Josh Andrés Rivera will play the lead role of Hernandez. Rivera broke out in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story, and more recently played the prominent role of Sejanus Plinth in the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

“He stole the part,” producer Nina Jacobson told IndieWire. “Especially having watched him on set [in Ballad], he is a grounded, likable, natural, and compelling presence, super-prepared. I was thrilled once they brought in a bunch of people, and let Josh rise to the top, which I knew he would. And we had him all tatted out. He was trained to be huge and muscular; he loved lifting weights.”

Who is cast in American Sports Story?

Patrick Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger plays Tim Tebow, the NFL quarterback who played college football alongside Hernandez at the University of Florida. The two were reportedly close, and according to the New York Post, Tebow advocated for Hernandez when Gators coach Urban Meyer wanted to kick him off the team because of his marijuana use.

Jake Cannavale

Cannavale (Bobby Cannavale's son) will play Hernandez’s love interest, per Deadline. As explored in the Netflix documentary Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Hernandez was involved with a male classmate, Dennis SanSoucie, for several years during high school.

"Yes, we were in a relationship back then, but at the time you don't look at it like that,” SanSoucie said during an interview for the documentary (as quoted by Buzzfeed News). “After doing it, it was like, ‘Did someone catch us? Did someone know?’ If we get caught, our parents are gonna disown us.”

Jaylen Barron

Barron will play Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, with whom he had a daughter. The couple met as high school students in Connecticut, and Shayanna stood by him throughout his trial and conviction—despite the fact that her sister, Shaneah Jenkins, was in a relationship with Odin Lloyd when Hernandez killed him.

Tony Yazbeck

Yazbeck plays Urban Meyer, who was head coach of the Florida Gators during Hernandez’s time there, and whose career has since been consumed by various controversies. According to the character synopsis (per Deadline), Meyer’s desire to win football games eclipses the promises he makes to the students who come to play for him, including Hernandez.

Lindsay Mendez

Mendez plays Tanya Singleton, Aaron’s beloved cousin. According to the Netflix documentary, Tanya became a maternal figure for him because his relationship with his own mother was strained. Singleton refused to testify against Hernandez during his trial, and was subsequently convicted of criminal contempt.

Tammy Blanchard

Blanchard will play Terri Hernandez, Aaron’s mother.

What is the release date for American Sports Story?

A release date hasn't yet been confirmed for American Sports Story, but the series is likely to premiere on FX sometime in late 2024. Principal photography began in April of 2023, but was suspended a couple of months later due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and didn’t resume until the end of the year. It’s not clear whether filming has concluded as of March 2024.

How many episodes are in American Sports Story?

The first season of American Sports Story will be 10 episodes long, falling in line with the typical episode counts for American Crime Story.

How to watch American Sports Story

American Sports Story will air on FX, and based on the American Crime Story release model, episodes will likely be available to stream via FX on Hulu the day after their TV premiere.

Is there a trailer for American Sports Story?

A trailer hasn’t yet been released for the series at this time.

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