Ryan Murphy, the prolific TV producer behind “American Horror Story” and its many spin-offs, is back with another of his infamous real-life murder dramas. This story follows Aaron Hernandez, the NFL tight end who seemed to be on a direct path to the Hall of Fame when his career was cut short by a murder conviction and a one-way ticket to a maximum prison safety in Massachusetts.
“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” stars Josh Rivera as Hernandez, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tebow and more celebrities who play the real-life athletes and people involved in the case. The 10-episode miniseries was created by Stuart Zicherman and produced by Ryan Murphy. It premieres on FX on September 17th.
After playing at the University of Florida under quarterback Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer, Hernandez was a fourth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belicheck. With star quarterback Tom Brady and fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez stood out for the Patriots. Two years into his rookie contract, he signed a five-year extension worth $40 million. That same year, he played with the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. He was 23 years old.
On June 26, 2013, Hernandez’s NFL career came to a complete halt when he was arrested at his home in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He was charged with the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd and five additional weapons charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm. Two hours later, Hernandez was waived by the Patriots.
At the time, Lloyd was in a relationship with the sister of Hernandez’s fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins.
“Odin Lloyd is seen around 2:30 in the morning [July 17] leaving with Hernandez and Hernandez’s friends, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, in a rented silver Nissan Altima.” CNN reported in 2013.
Later that day, a jogger found Lloyd’s body in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez’s home, with five gunshot wounds to the back and side.
The story became even more complicated when the trial raised possible connections between Hernandez and another double homicide that occurred in July 2012. This was tied to a complaint filed by Alexander Bradley of Miami Federal Court. Bradley claimed Hernandez shot him in the face after an altercation involving Bradley as a witness to the fatal shootings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. These charges were not admitted as evidence in Lloyd’s murder trial.
In April 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of Lloyd’s first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. His trial for the double murder of Abreu and Furtado did not begin until March 2017. However, on April 14, 2017, he was acquitted of the double homicide charges. Five days later, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell in what was described as a suicide.
Further studies of Hernández’s brain show what his lawyer José Baez is described as a “severe case” of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The Boston University CTE Center report found that Hernandez had stage 3 CTE; the disease is classified into four degrees. The damage consisted of early degeneration of brain cells and large tears in the septum pellucidum. Symptoms of CTE are characterized by aggression, apathy, memory loss, lack of spatial awareness, and executive dysfunction.
“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” premieres on FX with two episodes on September 17.