Ryan Murphy‘s American Story world expands with a new anthology series focusing on the world of sports. American Sports Story fictionalizes various headline-grabbing events in the world of athletics. The first season tells the story of the former New England Patriots tight end, Aaron Hernandez. It chronicles the rise and fall of the player whose story made headlines when he was arrested and charged with a double homicide, for which he was later acquitted. However, the ordeal was so unnerving that Hernandez took his own life in prison. A new trailer for the season that premieres this September peels back the layers of Hernandez’s complex world and what drove him to commit the aforementioned acts.

“You don’t know the kind of thoughts that I have,” the trailer begins as Hernandez gets his skin tattooed. Several scenes flash in succession, teasing a world of violence, anger, and football with Hernandez at the center of it. “It’s like a demon,” he tries to explain what goes on in his mind. “What if God made me this way?” he poses, revealing his strong religious convictions. But in the chaos of his existence, football is the only thing that keeps him sane. Hernandez racks up wins that propel him to the top of the game, and soon, he begins living a different life.

The Many Lives and Secrets of Aaron Hernandez

The trailer is set to a rendition of Future‘s “Mask Off,” teasing secrets in Hernandez’s life. As the repetition of “mask on, mask off” continues, the trailer reveals the other side of his life. “You’re soft” is not a light accusation where Hernandez comes from, guns and violence are the order of the day. To add insult to injury, Hernandez hides an aspect of himself that would destroy his life. The trailer shows him cruising a man in a bathroom, revealing his queerness that he hides at all costs but only confides in his cousin. “The drugs, the sex, the anger. Everything is okay when I’m playing ball,” he reveals his happy place.

But playing ball doesn’t fix the multitude of issues in his life, and soon, Hernandez’s life unravels. He finds himself on the hook for double homicide, and most are those of the people whom he was close with in his non-football world. A player with the rest of his life ahead of him loses everything when law enforcement arrests him.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez premiers on September 17 on FX. It will also be available to stream on Hulu. Watch other American Story series like American Horror Story on Hulu.

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