WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.

The new FX series American Sports Story chronicles Aaron Hernandez’s collegiate success as a member of the University of Florida’s elite football team. American Sports Story episode 3 depicts some of Hernandez’s behind-the-scenes struggles both on and off the field despite him being the best college tight end in the country and a recipient of the prestigious John Mackey Award. Established in 2000, the John Mackey Award is not only based on the talent and performance of the recipient but also as an acknowledgment of the exceptional person beneath the helmet and shoulder pads.

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 in 2010. American Sports Story portrays several NFL players and coaches including Hernandez, Tim Tebow, and Tom Brady. The series looks into Hernandez’s relationship with Florida head coach Urban Meyer and chronicles Hernandez’s head injuries that led to his stage 3 CTE diagnosis in 2017.

Mackey was one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history

The John Mackey Award was named after Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, who played three seasons at Syracuse University from 1960 to 1962. Mackey was a highly versatile offensive weapon who not only played tight end for the Syracuse Orange but also running back and wide receiver as well. According to Syracuse, “As a junior, he totaled 15 receptions for a then school-record 321 yards and was a key contributor in Syracuse’s 1961 Liberty Bowl triumph, catching four passes in a 15-14 victory against Miami.” Mackey had a career total of 27 receptions for 481 yards and six touchdowns, ranking 78th on Syracuse’s all-time receiving yards list (via Sports Reference).

After Mackey graduated from Syracuse in 1963, he was selected by the Baltimore Colts as the 19th overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. Mackey would go on to play for the Baltimore Colts for nine seasons before ending his career as a member of the San Diego Chargers in 1972. Once he got to the NFL, he only played at the tight end position and became on of the greatest to ever do it. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, “John Mackey was only the second player who performed strictly as a tight end to become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” His NFL career totals were 331 receptions for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns.

The John Mackey Award Explained: Who Has Won Besides Aaron Hernandez

Brock Bowers of the University of Georgia is the only tight end to win the award in back-to-back years (2022, 2023)

The John Mackey Award is “presented to the nation’s most outstanding tight end by the Friends of John Mackey“, according to the National College Football Awards Association. The first recipient of the award was Tim Stratton of Purdue University in 2000. He is a member of the voting committee for the John Mackey award along with previous winners Dallas Clark (2002, University of Iowa) and D.J. Williams (2010, University of Arkansas). Celebrated sportswriters such as Lee Corso and Phil Steele also make up the voting committee. The most recent recipient, Brock Bowers of the University of Georgia, became the first tight end to ever win the award in back-to-back years (2022, 2023).

Hernandez won the prestigious award after his final season at Florida in 2009. He is one of two Florida Gators to ever win the award, with Kyle Pitts, who now plays for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, winning the prize in 2020. Other notable recipients of the John Mackey Award include T.J. Hockenson (2018, University of Iowa) who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings, Mark Andrews (2017, University of Oklahoma) who plays for the Baltimore Ravens, Hunter Henry (2015, University of Arkansas) who currently plays for the New England Patriots, and 2-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (2004, University of Virginia).

John Mackey Had Dementia & Was Diagnosed With CTE

Mackey was 59 years old when he was first diagnosed with dementia

American Sports Story makes a point to include a portrayal of John Mackey in the series as a dramatized version of Aaron Hernandez accepts the award named after him. It is evident by Mackey’s condition in the series that he is older and his football playing days are far behind him as Aaron and Mackey’s wife Sylvia help him stand to take a photo. According to a Legacy Story published on the website of the Concussion Legacy Foundation written by Sylvia Mackey, “After being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, Mackey began having issues with his memory and lost the ability to care for himself.” Mackey was 59 years old when he was first diagnosed with dementia.

Mackey was not diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) after his death in 2011. His family donated his brain to the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank at Boston University where he was diagnosed with advanced-stage CTE. Like Mackey, Hernandez was diagnosed with advanced-stage CTE following his death in 2017. Hernandez’s family also donated his brain to Boston University’s CTE Center, which concluded that Hernandez’s CTE was the worst they had seen in any young person in the history of BU’s CTE Center. Sylvia Mackey noted that her husband’s “private battle with dementia became the public face of the link between head trauma, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and related ailments.”

John Mackey Died In 2011, 2 Years After American Sports Story Scene

Hernandez played in Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012

Aaron Hernandez received the John Mackey Award in early 2010 after his 2009 season. Mackey died on July 6, 2011, roughly a year and a half after Hernandez won the award. Boston Univeristy’s CTE Center diagnosed Mackey with advanced-stage CTE in 2012, meaning that Hernandez was still alive and playing in the NFL when knowledge of Mackey’s CTE became public. It will be interesting to see if this moment will be depicted in American Sports Story and whether or not the fictional portrayal of Hernandez will pay any mind to it.

According to a 2023 study by Boston University’s CTE Center, 345 out of 376 deceased former NFL players studied had CTE, creating a shockingly high diagnosis rate of 91.7% (via Boston University). Hernandez and Mackey were among those 345 and counting. Concussions are unfortunately quite common in football, particularly in the NFL, which recently changed its official protocol on concussions during NFL games in 2022 which prohibits players showing signs of ataxia from returning to the game. The handshake between John Mackey and Aaron Hernandez means more than meets the eye in American Sports Story.

Source: Syracuse, Sports Reference, Pro Football Hall of Fame, National College Football Awards Association, Concussion Legacy Foundation