‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ Review: Ryan Murphy’s Risky FX Series Explores Sexuality and Head Injuries

“Kid’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Or prison.”

In 2013, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested for the murder of his fiance’s sister’s boyfriend, Odin Lloyd. Not the only major crime he was accused of committing, Hernandez was eventually convicted and died in prison of an apparent suicide. A 27-year-old who felt he had run out of excuses and options, Hernandez’s health prior to his death has been plagued with notions he suffered from paranoia, sexual identity issues and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

A lot happens in the first episode of the new anthology series “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” which was born from the mind of Ryan Murphy and his frequent team of writers and directors. Based on the podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.,” the show’s first season concerns the New England-born NFL player (Josh Andrés Rivera) whose fall from grace can be studied from every angle, from murder to possible queerness. The first episode immediately takes liberties to reflect a man troubled by his upbringing.

His verbally abusive father comments on the best way to stand without looking like a “faggot.” We see the young athlete’s meteoric rise through college recruitment to eventual professional football superstar. The first few episodes introduce Hernandez and his inner circle, flanked by his father’s death and the problematic friendships he makes along the way.

A Florida Gators tight end, Hernandez struck up a friendship with devout Christian and fellow teammate Tim Tebow, portrayed in the series by actor Patrick Schwarzenegger. Other teammates and coaches seem to make excuses for some of the young player’s early criminal behavior, ignoring obvious red flags that would come to haunt everyone in the aftermath of his murderous mood swings. Hernandez’s college coaches, childhood friends, family and everyone in between let his escalating anger problems and drug addictions run wild in favor of possible NFL glory.

Much of “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” examines the player’s rise and fall, his personal troubles and the possibility that CTE had anything to do with the eventual murder he commits. However, what creator Stu Zicherman and Murphy find more engaging about the real-life character is the rumored queerness that might have affected his personal and professional relationships. Though these remain rumors in real life, substantiated by Hernandez’s family who claim he eventually came out to them while in prison, Zicherman and Murphy focus squarely on the early 2000s mentality that being gay was akin to the worst thing imaginable among athletes. A trait of Aaron Hernandez’s life he certainly would’ve wanted to keep hidden, given cultural attitudes towards the subject at the time.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” takes viewers on a 10-episode journey through the life and struggles of the titular fallen angel. Molestation as a child, affairs with a male high school friend and a stretch therapist, college orgies, drug dealing, the draft to the New England Patriots, having a baby with his fiance Shayanna (Jaylen Barron), and numerous instances of criminal activity are simply footnotes in a series that deals heavily with motive and background. It’s overtly sexual in a way that defines Hernandez’s life as a womanizer on the outside and a depressed, self-hating homophobe on the inside.

The show postulates that all of the events leading up to Hernandez’s murder conviction are a direct result of his closeted nature and the exploration of what it means to be viewed as masculine, particularly in the early to mid-2000s. A sea of Hollister shirts and “Fergalicious” on the radio set the tone to Hernandez’s life and eventual madness. There’s no nuance here as viewers are taken on a wild ride of partying and power at a young age.

Rivera takes a vulnerable character like Aaron Hernandez and makes it possible to not only feel for the real-life figure but also believe in his self-doubt and emotional instability. The “West Side Story” actor’s physical transformation from teenage athlete to NFL beefcake is a slow change that moves along with the character’s infamous outbursts. It’s a marvelous performance that has all the makings of a rocket ship juncture for a young actor getting his feet wet in Hollywood.

Though Rivera’s smile will melt hearts amongst the awful things his character is achieving on screen, “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” stops short of watercooler moments like those Murphy’s sister series “American Crime Story” achieved. This new show is full of true-to-life depictions of famous names like fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski, Patriots coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft that are relegated to caricatures. At one point, Belichick (Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz) remarks to Hernandez, “Are you a tight end or a receiver?”

This kind of dialogue unmistakably refers cheekily to the fact that everyone suspects something is different about Aaron Hernandez, though they can’t quite put their finger on it.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” takes risks in illustrating a stain on sports history by portraying a man with the talent to go further than anyone could in his given sport. However, the system surrounding him is designed to protect the worst things he perpetuates along the way.

The representation of Hernandez as a closeted gay man struggling with identity reaches a boiling point when image is all he cares about. The current repudiation of head injuries as it correlates to immorality is fascinating, yet it’s treated as a B-story in a series that leans heavier on the salacious moments of the NFL player’s life and death.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” premieres Tuesday, Sept. 17, on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.

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