American Sports Story producers detail why the series depicts the acquitted murders of Aaron Hernandez. The show explores the life of Hernandez, the NFL star-turned-convicted murderer, diving into the controversial 2012 double homicides of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Hernandez was already in jail serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd. In 2017, Hernandez was indicted and later acquitted of first-degree murder charges outside a Miami nightclub. On April 19, 2017, Hernandez took his own life five days after his acquittal.

In an interview with Variety, producers Brad Simpson and Stuart Zicherman explain why the series depicts the murders, despite Hernandez being acquitted. They take a strong stand in portraying him as guilty, challenging the court rulings. This was following the extensive research done by the American Sports Story team, including the reporting done by the Boston Globe, which reassured the producers’ belief in Hernandez’s guilt. The producers explain that there were “a lot of things we emotionally grappled with” — but that portraying his guilt wasn’t one of those. Read their full quote below:

SIMPSON:

He did do those murders. What’s interesting to us is the ways that he was found not guilty of those murders. It’s pretty clear that Aaron shot Sherrod in the face. There’s so much witness testimony placing Aaron around the scene of those murders. All of the evidence led to that. I think the show is interested in showing how he got off and setting up that there was even a chance he might even have the first conviction overturned.

But it seemed pretty clear to us and the reporters at the Boston Globe, that Aaron was, if not guilty by the court of those murders, he did them.

We didn’t really grapple, ethically, with having them commit those murders because we’re pretty convinced he did them.

ZICHERMAN:

The writers were debating all of these things. You end up making decisions based on what you think happened.

We took a hard line, like he is a killer. He did kill people and ended people’s lives. We, as a show, don’t want to forgive him for that. At the same time, he wasn’t born a murderer. And what’s interesting to me about the story is all the institutions and people that, you could say, failed him or could have made a difference along the way… that maybe he doesn’t end up becoming a murderer.

What This Means For The Show

The Series Tells The Story Of The 2012 Murders

The portrayal of Hernandez’s involvement in the 2012 murders is crucial. From childhood trauma to his career in the NFL, the series explores how institutions – family, education, sports, and the legal system – played roles in his downfall. Episode 6, “Herald Street”, takes a deeper look into Hernandez’s inner struggles, including his hidden sexuality, while delving into the circumstances surrounding the murders. It examines how Hernandez’s closeted sexuality, fear of exposure, and the hypermasculine culture of professional sports intensified his paranoia and violent tendencies. The story implies that his emotional repression and insecurities might have influenced the night of the shooting.

The episode’s pivotal moment is the July 2012 murders of de Abreu and Furtado. The incident is sparked by a spilled drink which ignites Hernandez’s rage, who, high on cocaine, follows the men in a fit of anger. At a stoplight, he asks them to roll down their windows before opening fire with a newly acquired gun. In his mind, this act is more than just retaliation for imagined insults; it is a desperate reaction to doubts and scrutiny he feels from everyone around him. It is a dark climax of his inner struggle.

Our Take On This Decision

It Follows A New True-Crime Format

One of the themes in American Sports Story is the dramatic contrast between Hernandez’s public image and his private struggles. A celebrated athlete, his personal life was far from idyllic. The show delves into Hernandez’s difficulties with untreated mental health issues, including potential effects from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated head injuries. The show also digs into his traumatic background, marked by the loss of his father, exposure to violence, and repressed emotions linked to toxic masculinity. These unresolved traumas, combined with the pressure of his football career, contributed to Hernandez’s increasingly erratic and violent behavior.

American Sports Story takes a layered approach, not reducing Hernandez to just a criminal. As Zicherman noted, it investigates both the crimes he committed and the complex factors that shaped him. This nuanced portrayal offers a lens into how unresolved trauma, repression, and institutional negligence can have disastrous repercussions. This is an approach that is growing significantly among true-crime series, like Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology, where he portrays the crime both from the victim and the perpetrator’s perspectives.

Source: Variety

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

New episodes of American Sports Story air on FX on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET.