In his three seasons with the New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez scored eighteen touchdowns and had nearly two thousand receiving yards. In college, Hernandez earned first-team All-American honors and was part of the Florida Gators during a run that led to a national title. Despite all of his accomplishments and the numbers he put up during his career, he will only be remembered for one thing: The Murder of Odin Lloyd“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” details the rise and fall of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez. Multiple documentaries have been made to uncover what drove Hernandez to commit murder, because it’s hard to imagine what would make a man throw away millions of dollars and a life of luxury. All he ever wanted to do was play in the NFL. How could he end up like this?
This series is based on the Wondery and Boston Globe podcast, “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez & Football, Inc.,” but it represents the first time Hernandez’s story has been dramatized with live action. In addition to Hernandez, played by actor Josh Andres Rivera, plenty of familiar faces are featured, including Hernandez’s coaches: Florida’s Urban Meyer and New England’s Bill Belichick. For the most part, these familiar faces are distracting, if not downright funny. It’s hard to take Hernandez’s plight seriously when Belichick is seen singing Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.” Thankfully, “American Sports Story” decides to keep appearances by teammates Gronkowski and Brady to a minimum.
“American Sports Story” paints a picture of an athlete who was encouraged to play despite injuries, including perhaps multiple undiagnosed concussions. He was also trying to hide his true identity in a hyper-masculine environment, which would never have accepted who he was. In the two-episode premiere, “American Sports Story” lays the groundwork for Hernandez’s fear of being perceived as a gay man. His father, Dennis Hernandez, is depicted as an abusive man, who often belittles Hernandez and his brother when they don’t live up to his lofty expectations. Although Hernandez was scared of his father, he also idolized him. The dream of playing in the NFL, the league “that owns its own day, that they stole from the Church,” is all that matters. The NFL is also a place for “men,” as Hernandez’s father puts it, a word that in this case carries respectability and a certain kind of attitude. Hernandez often struggled to be the man his father wanted him to be — he couldn’t fit into the masculine public persona without burying who he really was.
Another overarching element of “American Sports Story” examines the institutions that allowed Hernandez to believe he was above the law. There’s no question that his battles with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and his sexuality are attributed to his fear and his ability to make decisions. One could say that the University of Florida, the NFL and the New England Patriots all share the blame for the man he eventually became. “American Sports Story” is not only interested in the reasons why a football player with all that money and status was able to commit murder, but ultimately the experiences that led up to it.
To Rivera’s credit, she takes on the role of such a complicated and well-known athlete and delves into the depths of that performance. Her portrayal of Hernandez is the strength of “American Sports Story,” as it shows the different personalities Hernandez could have shared. Outside of the lead performance, the women of the series fare much better than the many famous faces. In the penultimate episode, “What’s Left Behind,” Hernandez’s fiancée Shayanna Jenkins (Jaylen Barron), his mother Terri (Tammy Blanchard) and his cousin Tanya Singleton (Lindsay Mendez) deal with the aftermath of his arrest and decide how they will define themselves. Barron’s character, in particular, has a dilemma: Though she is only Hernandez’s fiancée, she must decide whether she will continue to stand by him or turn her back on him as so many others have done before.
While “American Sports Story” has compelling drama, it never rises to the level of a Lifetime series: the abusive father figure, the absent mother, and a group of friends who pushed Hernandez toward dangerous substances. While these events most likely occurred in real life as depicted on the show, much of it seems fabricated to meet a checklist. Did Hernandez hook up with men during his time in Florida? Maybe. Was he suicidal at other times in his life? There’s no way to know. What should be the most intriguing event in the entire series — Hernandez’s relationship with Odin Lloyd and subsequent murder — doesn’t live up to expectations.
Hernandez committed murder, perhaps even multiple times, but the series wanted to solve another crime: Who was it that killed Aaron Hernandez? Was it the University of Florida that allowed him to get away with multiple crimes without punishment? Was it the New England Patriots, who knew they were harboring a troubled young man and failed to provide him with the necessary resources? Maybe it was his home life? The reality is that it was probably a combination and not just one thing. Rivera does an admirable job of showing the many facets of Hernandez. Still, much of what is here is either a rehash of previous documentaries or not compelling enough to merit a 10-episode miniseries. Not to mention, the casting choices of many famous faces are woefully inadequate and distracting. Ultimately, “American Sports Story” wants to offer an entertaining look at the downfall of a modern professional athlete. Maybe they’ll find the entertaining part next season because this one isn’t good.
The 10-episode miniseries was screened for review and airs weekly on FX.