WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for the finale of American Sports Story.
FX’s series finale American sports history changed several aspects of the real story about the life and final days of Aaron Hernandez. Since the first two episodes of American sports historyAaron Hernandez’s life and NFL career were heading toward a tragic and frightening endpoint that resulted in the former New England Patriot and star tight end receiving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Since emerging as an offensive weapon on Urban Meyer’s legendary but controversial Florida Gators team and receiving the coveted John Mackey Award, BUTT episodes 9 and 10 depict Hernandez behind bars in a federal prison.
American sports history episode 10 “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?” chronicles Hernandez’s second murder trial and his death by suicide in 2017. Episode 9 put Hernandez’s ex-fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, in the spotlight as she chooses to defend Hernandez through his arrest and murder conviction. The series also portrays Hernandez’s famous lawyer, Jose Baez, and his defense in the alleged double homicide in 2012 in Boston. At 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 counts of murder.
Sherrod did not have an emotional outburst during his testimony
Sherrod lost credibility with the jury because of a message he sent to his lawyer
THE American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez the ending depicts Sherrod’s return seeking revenge against Hernandez for allegedly shooting him in the eye. Although the series depicts Hernandez shooting Anthony “Sherrod” Bradley in the face, it has never been proven that he did such a thing in real life. Bradley, however, testified against Hernandez in the double homicide trial as the prosecution’s star witness. BUTT episode 10 shows Sherrod having an emotional outburst with Hernandez, which satisfies Hernandez’s lawyer, Jose Baez. In reality, Sherrod’s credibility was damaged because of a message he sent to his lawyer this suggested he planned to lie under oath to frame Hernandez, which Baez revealed to the jury, an important detail the show leaves out.
DJ Hernandez said Aaron told his mother about his sexuality before his suicide
ASS omits this crucial scene to frame Hernandez’s suicide as an act of shame
Another important detail of the real story that the BUTT The ending leaves out Hernandez finally coming out that his mother, Terri, is gay. Aaron’s brother, DJ, who goes by Jonathan, revealed in The Dr. in 2020 that his brother revealed the truth about his sexuality to his mother during a prison visit. “He’s like, ‘Mom, you’re going to die without knowing your son,‘” said Jonathan (via Weekly entertainment). “Then suddenly they have this conversation and they are both filled with tears at each other..” Interestingly, this pivotal moment is not depicted or implied in any way in the series.
Chris was not present at Hernandez’s second murder trial – his character is fictional
Chris’ entire storyline was invented for the series
One of the most consistent changes to true stories American sports history is the invention of Chris Taylor, one of Hernandez’s athletic trainers. The series features Chris in several episodes and portrays him as Hernandez’s secret friend who would accompany him on exotic trips in Cabo. Chris is not based on a real personwhich means that your presence in the courtroom in BUTT finale is completely fictional. Jose Baez also never confronted Hernandez about the prosecution team’s discovery of the Cabo vacation receipts because it never happened.
American Sports Story omits Hernandez’s alleged lover in prison
Kyle Kennedy claimed Hernandez told him about a fourth person he killed
Hernandez allegedly had sexual relations with his cellmate, Kyle Kennedy, while incarcerated at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts (via People). The series depicts only one other notable inmate during Hernandez’s time in prison, with whom Hernandez gets into a physical altercation. Kennedy also claims that Hernandez spoke of a fourth assassination he committed that he was never caught (via CBS Boston). Given that no one substantiated Kennedy’s claims, it makes sense why the series left him out. If it were established that Hernandez had a gay lover while in prison, the ending of the final ASS would not make any sense, as Hernandez sought to escape reality through synthetic cannabis after rumors spread about his homosexuality.
Why Hernandez wrote John 3:16 on his forehead and wall
Tim Tebow used to write in the black eye
The series depicts an accurate description of how prison officers found Hernandez’s body. According to CNN, “On the night of his death, Hernandez had placed a large amount of shampoo on the floor of his cell, making it very slippery, according to the investigation report..” However, although “John 3:16” was written in blood on his prison wall, it was written in ink on the forehead. “Underneath the drawings on the wall was a Bible open to John 3:16, with verse 16 marked in blood, according to the report..” There were also no drugs found in Hernandez’s system at the time of his death, which contradicts the portrayal in the BUTT end.
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Hernandez reportedly found solace in religion during his time in prison. It is also accurately portrayed in the series that his former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow encouraged him to delve deeper into religion while they were teammates. Tebow was known for writing “John 3:16” on his black eye during games. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Hernandez was making a direct call or paying tribute to him in this way.
What the Boston Sports Talk radio show really said about Hernandez
The general gist of what was said about Hernandez on Boston’s “Kirk & Callahan” radio show was accurate. Boston sports reporter Michelle McPhee was a guest on radio station WEEI and made insinuating comments about the potential motive for Odin Lloyd’s murder. According to The New Yorker“Using football metaphors to imply their preference, the men referred to Hernandez as a “tight end on and off the field,” adding, “so he became a wide receiver.” This continued, with McPhee adding that Hernandez kicked “with both feet.“”The motive for Lloyd’s murder was never determined.
After Hernandez’s death, McPhee stated, “What I said was really inelegant of me and not something I would have done if I wasn’t on a sports radio show. It’s no laughing matter at all. But I would certainly expect, in 2017, that Aaron Hernandez would be more concerned about the fact that he killed his close friend, his fiancee’s sister’s boyfriend, than about his sexuality..” The series implies that Hernandez and other inmates became aware of his sexuality through the radio program, which led to his suicide.
Hernandez’s scene with his father Dennis explained
Hernadnez’s problems began after the loss of his father
One of the final scenes of American sports history the ending depicts Aaron talking to his late father, Dennis, which sets a tone of foreshadowing of what is to come. Dennis was a highly influential figure in Hernandez’s life, but he was also physically and emotionally abusive. Despite that, Aaron chooses not to blame his father for his terrible life choices during the phone call. Hernandez finally takes responsibility and admits to himself that he has lost his way on his long path of trying to make his father proud through football. Hernandez is high on synthetic cannabis during this scene, but the central message of the conversation highlights Hernandez coming to terms with the pain he has felt and inflicted on others.
The true meaning of the end of American sports history
Shayanna sees the good and bad sides of football in the final scene
In the final scene of American sports historyShayanna looks at the kids playing football. She remembers Aaron, just a kid who loved a game, but she also thinks about the dangers of the game that millions of kids love to watch and play. The series shamelessly points out the sport and the institution of professional football through Hernandez’s choicesrelying on the presumption that Aaron’s advanced stage 3 CTE diagnosis was the primary reason for his behavioral instability and impulsive acts of violence. It also suggests causality on the part of the Boston sports radio show and reporter Michelle McPhee for exposing her sexuality on air, which is based in fact but presented with a heavy hand on the show.
While the timing of the radio program around Hernandez’s death is accurate, it is unconfirmed whether it reached Hernandez and whether it influenced his decision to end his life. The series also arguably leans more towards Hernandez’s sexuality and closeted homosexuality than the evidence might suggestresulting in a portrayal of Hernandez as a victim of multiple forces: physical abuse and toxic masculinity from his father, alleged sexual abuse by an unidentified person as a child, chronic cannabis use and multiple substance abuse, closeted homosexuality and repressed sexuality, lack of medical intervention by elite football programs leading to advanced and undiagnosed stage 3 CTE, etc.
American sports history it covers a lot of precise bases while inventing plot points and characters for entertainment purposes. Ultimately, the series doesn’t add much factual clarity to Hernandez’s true story, replacing white space with hyperbole, innuendo, and, in some cases, false and unproven information. Although the series attempts to connect the many dots of real history that naturally make Hernandez’s case fascinating, it greatly expands your creative freedoms by creating new points for dramatic effects in search of a non-existent resolution. A more carefully crafted series could have allowed viewers to reach their own conclusions, rather than forcing fabricated and exaggerated ones to align with a creative vision.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, People, CBS Boston, The New Yorker