American Sports Story features many NFL icons including Aaron Hernandez and Cam Newton, but how does their relationship on screen compare to real life?

FX will recount the rise and fall of NFL legend Aaron Hernandez in American Sports Story, a new 10-episode series set to dive into his career, murder conviction, and eventual suicide.

The Truth Behind Aaron Hernandez and Cam Newton

Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton only played a minor role in American Sports Story (played by Warren Egypt Franklin) which revealed little about his relationship with Aaron Hernandez.

Fortunately, as American Sports Story is based on the true story of Hernandez, these real-life details can be found in the books of recent history.

American Sports Story paints Cam Newton as the one to face downfall as he was cut from the Florida Gators for a stolen laptop scandal, despite his teammates’ own illegal activity. 

While Newton was, in fact, not cut from the team (according to the man himself), the incident involving a stolen laptop did happen. 

In November 2008 (via ESPN), Newton was charged with felony counts of burglary, larceny, and obstructing justice, held in Alachua County jail, and suspended from the Gators after stealing a laptop worth $1700 and throwing it from his dormitory window.

Appearing on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Newton revealed the truth behind his Florida, explaining how his crime of stealing a laptop was “already taken care of” and he chose to leave the team, as opposed to being kicked out as portrayed on the FX series.

While he gave few details as to his exit from the Florida Gators, Newton explained the team had a “very toxic lockerroom” and how there was a “lot of talent that was boiling over and there were times it was just unmanageable.”

During an interview with Heavy, Newton opened up about his feelings for Hernandez and, despite the crimes of his fellow teammate, he had plenty of positive things to say. He explained how he “saw the younger him” and dubbed Hernandez as not a “villain:”

“I saw the younger him. The way he’s portrayed as a villain, that’s not him. Don’t get me wrong, in all respects of what happened, there were bodies that were damaged and I’m not denying what was done was bad. But I knew a beautiful soul. He was fun-loving and he just wanted to make it to the league.”

The first two episodes of American Sports Story are streaming now on Hulu.