WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.

The new FX series American Sports Story depicts the alleged relationship between Aaron Hernandez and his high school football teammate Dennis Sansoucie. Sansoucie is portrayed by Kalama Epstein as part of the ensemble cast of American Sports Story led by Josh Rivera as Hernandez. American Sports Story episodes 1 & 2 and American Sports Story episode 3 loosely chronicle a real-life secret relationship between Hernandez and Sansoucie that originated while they were both members of the Bristol Central High School varsity football team in Bristol, Connecticut during the 2000s. Sansoucie opened up about his relationship with Hernandez in Netflix’s Killer Inside docuseries.

The first season of American Sports Story covers the tumultuous journey of Aaron Hernandez, a former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2015. A winner of the distinguished John Mackey Award, Hernandez went from playing in Super Bowl XLVI for the New England Patriots in February 2012 to getting arrested on first-degree murder charges in June 2013. American Sports Story offers a mostly accurate examination of the events and themes of Hernandez’s startling true story, including his complicated family life, advanced stage CTE diagnosis, and internal conflicts with his sexual identity and gayness.

Dennis Sansoucie Was Allegedly Aaron Hernandez’s Secret High School Boyfriend

Sansoucie played quarterback and linebacker for Bristol Central High School in 2004 and 2005

Kalama Epstein’s portrayal of Dennis Sansoucie in American Sports Story clearly establishes a hidden romance between the former best friends and teammates. Sansocuie was once the quarterback of the Bristol Central High School team, while Hernandez was the standout tight end, creating a lasting and meaningful bond that went further than their connection on the gridiron. Sansoucie and Hernandez were both seniors at Bristol Central High School in 2007. However, as depicted in American Sports Story episode 1, Florida assistant coach Steve Addazio and head coach Urban Meyer urged Hernandez to graduate high school early to play for the University of Florida Gators.

While the real-life Urban Meyer denied claims that he encouraged Hernandez personally to graduate high school early, that is exactly what Hernandez ended up doing, enrolling at the University of Florida in 2007. Sansoucie played quarterback and linebacker for Bristol Central High School in 2004 and 2005 before switching to running back for the 2006-2007 season. Like most of his teammates, Sansoucie did not garner the attention of big-name Division 1 football programs such as the University of Florida like Hernandez did. Hernandez had initially committed to join his brother D.J. Hernandez at the University of Connecticut before switching to Florida.

American Sports Story depicts Sansocuie telling Hernandez about his decision

As depicted in American Sports Story, Dennis Sansoucie’s character tells Rivera’s Aaron Hernandez that he’s enlisted in the Marines as Hernandez heads off to Gainesville, Florida. This is in fact what happened in real life, as Sansoucie left his football-playing days behind him to pursue a military life and career. It’s unclear just how close the former teammates and alleged lovers were as Hernandez gained a national spotlight, winning the 2008 NCS National Championship alongside Tim Tebow and a legendary Florida Gators team before being drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The series implies they stayed in touch throughout Hernandez’s college years.

One true story aspect that American Sports Story doesn’t necessarily touch on is how close the Sansoucie and Hernandez families were as Aaron and Dennis grew up together. While Dennis and Aaron played high school football together, they started their friendship and camaraderie in middle school, which is also when Sansoucie claims that their romantic and physical exploration first began. This suggests that Hernandez and Sansoucie were in an unofficial relationship throughout their middle and high school years, a claim that Sansoucie upholds in Netflix’s Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez docuseries.

Did Dennis Sansoucie Get Married After Ending Aaron Hernandez Relationship?

There’s no record of his real-life engagement as portrayed in American Sports Story

There’s no public record of the real-life Dennis Sansoucie getting married or being engaged as portrayed in American Sports Story. Sansoucie also did not mention his marital or relationship status in Netflix’s Killer Inside documentary, making the circumstances around his relationship history uncertain. Sansoucie also did not openly state his specific sexual orientation in the docuseries but did consider his experience with Hernandez to be an “on-and-off relationship” from 7th grade throughout their junior year in high school. In the context of American Sports Story, Aaron reunites with Dennies after he goes home during the Thanksgiving break of his 2009 football season at the University of Florida.

Aaron returns home after he won a national championship and was announced as one of the top contenders for the John Mackey Award, making him much more of a notable figure in not just his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, but across the entire country. Dennis shows up at a pickup football game on their high school field and the two are ecstatic to see each other. They embrace, pour some shots, and smoke weed in Aaron’s car, laughing and reminiscing before Aaron makes a move. Dennis says he can’t go any further because he’s engaged to a college-aged woman who is enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Dennis Sansoucie Discussed His Relationship With Aaron Hernandez In A Documentary

Sancoucie did not

Dennis Sansoucie broke the news of his numerous sexual encounters with Aaron Hernandez in Netflix’s documentary Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. Sansoucie revealed he was a “small piece of Aaron’s sexual activity” during that time, adding that both of their parents would have disowned them if they had found out about their encounters. While Hernandez never had the opportunity to confirm or deny Sansoucie’s claims, it’s evident that Sansoucie and Hernandez were very close throughout their childhood. D.J. Hernandez wrote in his book that his brother never explicitly told him that he was gay but that Aaron did share this information with his mother, Tammi, and his ex-girlfriend, Alyssa Anderson.

Sansoucie also claimed in Netflix’s Killer Inside that Hernandez was not ashamed of his sexual identity and was in fact very proud. “He just couldn’t say anything at the time,” explains Sansoucie. Sansocuie remained silent on the matter during Hernandez’s NFL career and two murder trials and waited until after Hernandez died by suicide in 2017 to break the news to the public. Sancoucie looked back on his relationship with Hernandez and his own repressed sexual identity, saying “I was in such denial because I was an athlete.” Hernandez’s hidden relationship with Sansoucie is a major event in both Killer Inside and American Sports Story.

Source: Netflix, MaxPreps