New England Patriots fans don’t need Ryan Murphy to remind them that the fall of Aaron Hernandez is a true horror story. Alongside Rob Gronkowski, who was drafted two rounds before him in 2010, the explosive tight end was supposed to breathe new life into the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick-led dynasty. While Gronkowski won four Super Bowls and became a beloved sports character, Hernandez’s NFL career ended after just three seasons when he was arrested and eventually convicted of murder. In 2017, he committed suicide in his prison cell.
Eleven years after Hernandez’s shocking arrest, uber-producer Murphy and the team behind American Horror Story and American Crime Story dive into a new arena with American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. (The first two episodes premiered this Tuesday night on FX.) Based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc., the first installment of American Sports Story examines the life and death of Hernandez, which includes the loss of his father, his own identity, legal and maturity issues at the University of Florida, separating himself from his neighborhood ties, and his mounting secrets.
Is American Sports Story a good show? No, not really. On the scale of recent sports series, let’s say it’s better than Clipped but worse than Winning Time—which would hurt this Boston fan to say, except that we had the last laugh when HBO cancelled Winning Time after two seasons. (Meaning: It ends with the Celtics defeating the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals.) But do any of Murphy’s shows fall in the category of good? They are pulp entertainment, often with exciting actors taking big and wild swings. Unfortunately, American Sports Story doesn’t quite deliver there, especially with no Bill Clinton impersonation from Clive Owen, or whatever Sarah Paulson usually does in this universe. Outside of a mostly winning turn by West Side Story alum Josh Andrés Rivera in the complicated role of Hernandez, it’s hard to recommend the series to anyone not familiar with Hernandez or the NFL. It’s hilarious to imagine the average American Horror Story viewer trying to make heads or tails of this grumpy, hoodie-wearing guy named Bill Belichick.
In fact, the people with the most complicated feelings watching American Sports Story might be those who worship at the altar of Belichick. I’m a Massachusetts native, and Boston sports have been both my ultimate passion and vice for as long as I can remember. I lived through some dark days (Drew Bledsoe’s life-threatening injury, Aaron F***ing Boone and the 2003 ALCS, Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals), but I’ve been spoiled, too. The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins have combined for thirteen championships in the 21st century—with six of those coming courtesy of Brady, Belichick, and the Patriots.
It’s easy to forget that Hernandez arrived in a period when it wasn’t crazy to wonder if the Patriots’ glory days were over. After winning Super Bowls in the 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons, the Patriots remained dominant, becoming the first team to go 16–0 in the regular season. But a fourth championship eluded them. Drafting Gronkowski and Hernandez came with risks (injuries for Gronk and character issues for Hernandez), but the potential quickly outweighed those concerns as the duo emerged as the best young weapons in the league. Gronk’s Hall of Fame-worthy résumé—not to mention his charming-frat-boy persona—overshadows how good Hernandez was during his brief run. During his three seasons, Hernandez produced 175 catches and 15 touchdowns. I’m even able to admit that Hernandez was my favorite Patriot at the time not named Tom Brady, a bad take only rivaled by my outrage when a second-year Brady was named Bledsoe’s replacement over veteran Damon Huard. (I’m sorry, Tom!)
For Patriots fans, American Sports Story premieres at the start of what will likely be a second consecutive losing season. (We’ll always have our week 1 upset win over the Bengals though!) The days of Brady and Belichick already feel like a lifetime ago. So you could argue that there’s some welcome nostalgia in remembering the times when we competed for championships. But can you really be excited to see your favorite team get the Ryan Murphy treatment?
Well, even though Hernandez’s Patriots’ career spans more than half of the 10-episode season, for some reason only Belichick and owner Robert Kraft are deployed in any meaningful way. There are supposedly actors playing Patriot legends like Vince Wilfork, Wes Welker, and Jerod Mayo—but the credits are sole proof of that. In the wake of Clipped and its meme-worthy casting, you almost have to appreciate American Sports Story for not even trying to find someone to play one-of-ones like Randy Moss or Julian Edelman. The lack of featured Patriots is curious, since Hernandez’s period at the University of Florida features Tim Tebow (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger) and the random inclusion of Cam Newton stealing a computer, leading to his dismissal from the team.
In what has to be the result of the threat of a lawsuit, Brady is shown just twice. Once, we see TB12 walking by so fast that you can’t even get a solid look at him, and then in a conversation—which we can’t hear—with his then-wife Gisele Bundchen, who is wisely just visible from behind, because you can’t find a fake Gisele! Hernandez’s fellow tight end Gronk is briefly played by actor Laith Wallschleger, who delivers an impression straight out of Saturday Night Live! “Aaron, what’s up bro? They call me Gronk,” he says in his one true appearance. “You meet coach yet? That dude is fucking scary, bro. [Insert a very unsuccessful attempt at Gronk’s goofy laugh.]”
Good ol’ Gillette Stadium.
Speaking of the coach—and maybe I’ll be in the minority here—I got a kick out of Belichick’s portrayal. The performance from two-time Tony winner and Bloodline alum Norbert Leo Butz arrives at an interesting time in Belichick’s career arc. For the first time in more than two decades, Belichick is not the head coach of the Patriots, and, in the upset of all upsets, he’s becoming what he long despised: a member of the media. Early in his new career, he’s already shown that he does indeed have a personality outside of the mumbling man of few words we’ve come to know and love, even joining the social media world of InstaFace.
Maybe the biggest lie that American Sports Story tells about Belichick is in his initial scene, when he consults Kraft on the selection of Hernandez. The Belichick I know isn’t asking for permission, especially from Kraft! The Patriots owner is likely responsible for the Belichick slander job on Apple TV+’s recent docuseries The Dynasty. But Belichick is introduced in grand fashion when he’s rocking out to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” in his office ahead of going to practice. Butz excels as Belichick because he can bring both real acting chops to the table and a bit of a wink. He has a blast with the unexpected Belichick musical moment, but also handles the times when the famously no-nonsense coach comes down hard on Hernandez. At times that was what the troubled player needed—and at other times exactly what he didn’t need. With Hernandez fearing for his life, he sought out Belichick to ask for a trade, believing he needed to get out of New England and the bad influences in his native Connecticut. “You want me to trade you because you’ve got neighborhood troubles?” replies an offended Belichick. “Didn’t we tell you to stay away from those people? We just spent a shit ton of money on you, built the whole offense around you and Gronk. Best tight ends in football, Hall of Fame quarterback, we’re going to win a shit ton of games.”
In the end, this is what’s troubling for Patriots fans: Did the mission to win a shit ton of games mean turning a blind eye to legitimate concerns? Never mind the realization of how little we truly know those who we root for every Sunday. “Maybe he just needs to grow up a little bit,” Belichick says of Hernandez’s troubles ahead of drafting him. “I think we’ve got the right culture for him. Ton of upside, no risk.” Later, once Hernandez is arrested, Belichick closes the book on his former star in a press conference: “It’s time for the New England Patriots to move forward, and that consists of doing what we’ve always done: building a winning football team that our fans can be proud of. That and only that is why we’re here.” He did just that, winning three more Super Bowls in the subsequent years. Still, the stain of Hernandez can never be removed. Well, unless you’re the Patriot fan who I ran into at a bar the other Sunday wearing a Hernandez jersey.
And still, it could be worse—you could be Urban Meyer! Following his portrayal in American Sports Story, the former University of Florida coach might be the next face of Murphy’s Monster series.