WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.

The series finale of FX’s American Sports Story features a hallucinatory conversation between Aaron Hernandez and his father, Dennis. From the first two episodes of American Sports Story, the life and NFL career of Aaron Hernandez were headed toward a tragic and frightening endpoint that resulted in the former New England Patriot and star tight end receiving a lifetime prison sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Starting with his emergence as an offensive weapon on Urban Meyer’s legendary yet controversial Florida Gators team and receiving the coveted John Mackey Award, ASS episode 10 ends with Hernandez behind bars in federal prison.

American Sports Story episode 10 “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?” chronicles Hernandez’s second murder trial and death by suicide in 2017. Episode 9 placed Hernandez’s ex-fiancee Shayanna Jenkins in the hot seat as she chooses to defend Hernandez through his arrest and murder conviction. The series also depicts Hernandez’s celebrity attorney Jose Baez and his defense through the alleged double homicide that occurred in 2012 in Boston. By the end of the American Sports Story finale, Hernandez takes his own life in his prison cell just days after being acquitted of two additional murder charges.

Aaron Hernandez Imagines A Final Conversation With His Dad While High In Prison

His father tells him he loves him and reminds him of his NFL success

One of the final scenes in the American Sports Story finale portrays Aaron talking to his deceased dad, Dennis, which sets a foreshadowing tone of what’s to come. Dennis was a highly influential figure in Hernandez’s life but was also physically and emotionally abusive. Despite this, Aaron chooses not to blame his father for his terrible life choices during their phone call. Hernandez finally takes accountability and admits to himself that he lost his way on his long road of trying to make his father proud through football. Dennis tells Aaron that he loves him, words which Aaron hasn’t heard from him since high school.

Hernandez is high on synthetic cannabis during this scene, but the core message in their conversation highlights Hernandez coming to terms with the pain he has both felt and inflicted on others. It portrays how both the positive and negative impacts of Aaron’s father, Dennis, have followed him throughout his entire life. It culminates Hernandez as a victim of various forces: physical abuse and toxic masculinity of his father, alleged sexual abuse from an unidentified person as a child, chronic cannabis consumption and various substance abuse, closeted gayness and repressed sexuality, and the lack of medical intervention by elite football programs leading to advanced and undiagnosed stage 3 CTE.

Why Aaron Hernandez Begins Reciting John 3:16

Hernandez became increasingly religious in prison

Hernandez begins reciting the Biblical verse John 3:16 while he talks to his father in this dreamlike sequence. This is likely meant to capture how Hernandez had become increasingly religious during his time in prison and wrote religious statements to his wife, Shayanna, and daughter, Avielle, in what are considered to be his final letters. In them, Hernandez wrote, “I’m entering to the timeless realm in which I can enter into any form at any time because everything that could happen or not happened I see all at once! Life is eternal — believe!!!” He also wrote, “NOT MUCH TIME. I’M BEING CALLED! JOHN 3:16” (via New York Post).

It’s also worth noting that former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow encouraged him to get more into religion while they were teammates. Tebow was known for writing various Biblical verses including “John 3:16” on his eye black during college and NFL games. However, there’s no evidence to suggest that Hernandez was making a direct link or homage to him in this way. What is clear is that Hernandez was experiencing a type of religious ecstasy in the days before his suicide. His religious beliefs aren’t necessarily linked to his father.

The Reason Aaron’s Conversation With His Dad In American Sports Story’s Ending Is So Important

The scene allows Aaron freedom and peace while also portraying his unstable mind state

Hernandez finally faces his demons and takes responsibility for his actions during his final conversation with his father in American Sports Story. Not only does he receive the reassurance that his dad loves him, but more importantly, he is able to separate his identity from football and from his father’s expectations of him. In this way, Hernandez is more free than he’s ever been despite the tragic irony of him serving a lifetime prison sentence. Dennis Hernandez was the most important person in the world to Aaron, whose death completely rocked his world. While Aaron did find some spiritual retribution in this scene, his conversation with his dad also revealed his inner turmoil and instability in American Sports Story.

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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

Character(s)

Shaneah Jenkins , Shayanna Jenkins , Aaron Hernandez , Tanya Singleton , Terri Hernandez , ‘Chris’ , Dennis Hernandez , Urban Meyer , Tim Tebow , Carlos ‘Charlie Boy’ Ortiz , Alexander Sherrod , Ernest ‘Bo’ Wallace , Steve Addazio , Dennis Sansoucie , Jeff Cummings , Sports Reporter , Mr. Marzigalli , Coach Morgan , Uncle Bobby , DJ Hernandez (Age 4) , Emcee , Basketball Player , Trainer , Principal Seligman , Pastor

Release Date

September 17, 2024

Seasons

1

Writers

Ryan Farley , Liz Tuccillo , Tracey Scott Wilson

Directors

Paris Barclay , Carl Franklin

Producers

Brad Simpson , Scott Robertson , Nellie Reed , Lee Edward Colston , Todd Nenninger , Tanase Popa , Hernan Lopez , Eric Kovtun , Hadi Nicholas Deeb , Gail Barringer , Ira Napoliello , Matthew Hodgson , Carl Franklin , Sara Stelwagen , Nina Jacobson , Marshall Lewy , David Woods , Alexis Martin Woodall , Tyson Bidner , Stuart Zicherman , Ryan Murphy , Monica Levinson , Lou Eyrich

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