WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story episode 7.

American Sports Story episode 7 “Dirty Pain” changes several key aspects of Aaron Hernandez’s true story. Josh Rivera leads the American Sports Story cast as Aaron Hernandez, the former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2015. The first two episodes of American Sports Story capture a basic understanding of Aaron Hernandez’s complicated upbringing and accelerated path to becoming a Florida Gator before joining the NFL’s New England Patriots in 2010. American Sports Story portrays several NFL players, including Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, and Tim Tebow.

American Sports Story episode 3 chronicles Hernandez’s celebrity status at the University of Florida before he ultimately declared for the 2010 NFL Draft. American Sports Story episode 4 chronicles more of the details of Hernandez’s transition from being the 2010 John Mackey Award winner to having his draft stock plummet ahead of the NFL Draft due to off-the-field concerns. American Sports Story episode 5 chronicles Hernandez’s early days as a rookie on the New England Patriots and explores the influences of his new head coach Bill Belichick while American Sports Story episode 6 depicts a violent shooting Hernandez was allegedly involved in with his friend Sherrod, who comes after him for revenge in episode 7.

Aaron Hernandez Never Brought A Gun Into The Patriots Locker Room At Gillette Stadium

The series depicts Hernandez holding a handgun in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium

American Sports Story episode 7 features a depiction of an increasingly paranoid Aaron Hernandez grabbing a handgun from his team bag in the New England Patriots locker room. While there were several true aspects of American Sports Story episode 7, such as Hernandez requesting to be traded to a West Coast team and going through rehab after shoulder surgery in California, the part with Hernandez carrying a firearm in Gillette Stadium is completely fabricated. Handguns and other weapons were eventually confiscated by police following his arrest, but Hernandez never brought a weapon into the home of the Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Alexander “Sherrod” Bradley Initially Asked For $5 Million From Hernandez After Being Shot In The Face

The two exchanged hundreds of threatening text messages

The real-life Alexander S. Bradley, who goes by Sherrod in American Sports Story, did exchange hundreds of threatening back-and-forth text messages with Aaron Hernandez. The series accurately conveys Sherrod’s reluctance to report Hernandez to the police so that he could have the opportunity to enact his revenge on Hernandez.

While Hernandez never admitted to the crime in real life and was never charged with the attempted murder of Sherrod, he did rely on the assistance of his agent, Brian Murphy, to negotiate a potential payout. Sherrod reportedly asked for $5 million before settling on his second ask of $2.5 million as depicted in the series. In reality, Hernandez reached a settlement with Bradley for a confidential amount while incarcerated.

D.J. Hernandez Found Aaron With A Gun On A Rooftop In LA, Not A Beach In Malibu

Hernandez was found rubbing the barrel of a gun on his face

During an emotional and tense scene in American Sports Story episode 7, Aaron Hernandez’s brother D.J. finds Aaron on a beach in Malibu with a handgun outside of his temporary Los Angeles apartment. A similar event actually happened in which D.J. found Aaron in a state of distress on top of a roof holding a handgun and rubbing the barrel of the gun on his face (via The Boston Globe). Interestingly, the series takes a step back in its recreation of this real-life event since the actual occurrence sounds much more severe at face value. While Hernandez breaks down and cries in the series, the real scene is even more unsettling.

Police Responded To 2 Separate Domestic Incidents In The Same Week At Hernandez’s LA Apartment

The Los Angeles police department didn’t search the apartment either time

Aaron Hernandez and his finacée Shayanna Jenkins spent the spring of 2013 out in Los Angeles with their newborn daughter Avielle as Aaron rehabilitated following his shoulder surgery. The series depicts one domestic incident in which neighbors called the police after they heard yelling and items being thrown. In reality, there were actually two of these types of aggressive incidents over a span of one week (via The Wall Street Journal). Despite the frequency of these domestic disturbances, Hernandez was never arrested and Jenkins stayed in the house after telling police that she felt safe. The police never even searched the premises, clearly aware of who Hernandez was.

Aaron Hernandez Did Not Have A Hidden Arsenal Of Automatic Weapons In His Apartment

The series depicts Hernandez with various assault rifles and automatic weapons

The final scene of American Sports Story depicts Aaron Hernandez with a ridiculous arsenal of automatic weapons and handguns behind a hidden wall in his secret apartment in Franklin, Massachusetts. While he threatened Sherrod via text messages that he had various weapons in real life, including automatic weapons, police never found those weapons at his apartment or his mansion in North Attleborough. According to ESPN, Hernandez’s house cleaners found two separate handguns on two occasions, but never anything more powerful than that. The assault rifles and snipers seen in American Sports Story look like they came out of a first-person shooter video game and are not based on fact.

Sources: The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN

American Sports Story is a TV show from Stu Zicherman and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. The series stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez and Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow. The sports anthology series serves as the fourth installment in Murphy’s “American Story” franchise.

Cast

Josh Andrés Rivera , Patrick Schwarzenegger

Seasons

1

Directors

Paris Barclay , Carl Franklin