It’s all downhill from here. That’s the impression one gets watching episode 5 of “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” which aired Tuesday night on FX.
The latest chapter of the Ryan Murphy-produced show dramatizes Hernandez’s arrival in Foxborough, where he quickly learns that coach Bill Belichick has no interest in keeping tabs on his team’s new offensive weapon, and no ability to keep Hernandez on the straight and narrow once it’s clear he’s coming undone.
“This is a man’s team, be a man,” Belichick tells the player at one point.
It doesn’t take long for Hernandez’s lackadaisical approach in practice to bother his coach. In one scene, Belichick appears to punish Hernandez for lining up incorrectly, ordering up a series of plays that puts the tight end in the running-back position. As a result, Hernandez takes a series of huge hits that leave him dazed, underscoring the effect repeated blows to the head may have had on his behavior.
“I’m getting my head beat in. I’m not a running back,” Hernandez pleads.
“I’ll tell you what you are,” Belichick barks.
The episode ends with Hernandez at the wheel of an idling car at night, staring at a traffic light as if in a trance.
Belichick is portrayed in the show, which is based on The Boston Globe’s Spotlight series and accompanying podcast, produced by The Boston Globe and Wondery, as a social misfit whose only interests are football and … Bon Jovi. There’s an amusing scene in which the coach (played by Tony-winning stage actor Norbert Leo Butz) gets hyped for practice by listening to “It’s My Life” with the volume turned up.
In episode 5, we’re also introduced to two characters who may play the most pivotal roles in Hernandez’s last few years. One is Shayanna Jenkins, a former high school flame with whom Hernandez reconnects after he’s drafted by the Patriots. (The pair eventually get engaged and have a daughter.)
The other is Alexander Bradley. While Jenkins is portrayed as a stabilizing force in Hernandez’s life, Bradley is the opposite. A drug dealer who’s spent time behind bars, Bradley tells Hernandez that the NFL and prison are more similar than it might seem.
“Ain’t no difference between the warden and the owner of that team,” Bradley says. “White dudes overseeing a whole bunch of Black folk. … They snap their finger and take everything away. You only think you free.”
Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com. Follow him @MarkAShanahan.
