American Sports Story: The True Story of Aaron Hernandez’s Rise and Fall

Mar. 15, 2025

Tight end Aaron Hernandez #81 of the New England Patriots looks on during an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on December 23, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida.Photo:Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/ Getty Images

Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/ Getty Images

Ryan Murphy’s new anthology series,American Sports Story, tackles the rise and fall ofAaron Hernandezin its debut season.

Joining its predecessorsAmerican Horror StoryandAmerican Crime Story, Murphy’s latest creation, which premiered Sept. 17, focuses on Hernandez, who first rose to fame as a talented tight end for the New England Patriots from 2010 to 2012.

“He was constantly struggling against his demons, and no one could help him no matter how hard we tried,” a former teammate of Hernandez told PEOPLE in 2020. “He was just too angry and too self-destructive. It was sad.”

Here’s a closer look at the true story of Aaron Hernandez — from his once-promising football career to his violent crimes and tragic death.

Who was Aaron Hernandez?

Aaron Hernandez #81 of the New England Patriots celebrates after catching a 12 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady #12 in the third quarter against Deon Grant #34 of the New York Giants during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana.Al Bello/Getty Images

Al Bello/Getty Images

Hernandez was a professional football player with theNew England Patriotsfrom 2010 to 2012. On the Patriots, Hernandez was one-half of a talented tight end duo withRob Gronkowski— the pair broke multiple NFL records during the 2011 season, according toESPN.

As a result, Hernandez earneda 5-year, $40-million contract extensionwith the Patriots in 2012. The contract extension included a $12.5 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to a tight end in the NFL at the time.

Prior to the NFL, Hernandez played football at the University of Florida, where he won a national championship in 2008 and the John Mackey Award (given to the best tight end in the country) in 2009. Despite his success on the football field, Hernandez struggled to keep his temper in check and was involved in two separate violent incidents during his freshman year, a bar fight and a shooting. The former was settled out of court and the latter never resulted in charges.

“Everything about Aaron was a struggle,” a college teammate of Hernandez’s told PEOPLE in 2020. “He had these really angry outbursts a lot, over insignificant things. And when he started, he couldn’t stop.”

Off the football field, Hernandez becameengaged to Shayanna Jenkinsin November 2012, the same month they welcomed their first child together, adaughter named Avielle Janelle Hernandez.

“One thing I know is that it definitely changed my life,” Hernandeztold the mediaabout becoming a father.

What did Aaron Hernandez do?

Hernandez during his arraignment in Fall River Superior Court. Aaron Hernandez, a former New England Patriots tight end, has been charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd among other weapons charges.Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

In June 2013, Hernandez was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, along with five gun-related charges, for allegedly killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional football player who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée.

Prosecutors alleged that Hernandez and two other men, Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, picked up Lloyd in the early morning hours of June 17, 2013, and drove him to a secluded industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. — where he was shot six times and killed. Though it was not clear who pulled the trigger, prosecutors accused Hernandez of orchestrating the murder because he was “unhappy with the victim.”

Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder and additional firearm charges in April 2015 for the killing of Lloyd. He wassentenced to life in prisonwithout the possibility of parole. Two years later, in April 2017, Hernandezwas found not guiltyin the double murder of Abreu and Furtado after 37 hours of jury deliberation.

What happened to Aaron Hernandez after his 2013 arrest?

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is brought into Attleboro District Court. Hernandez was arrested at his home earlier today and is was charged with murder and five illegal firearms charges in relation to last week’s slaying of Odin Lloyd, 27.John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Hernandez’s once-promising NFL career was over after his arrest for Lloyd’s murder in 2013. He was immediately dropped from the Patriots’ roster, his endorsement deals with Puma and Muscle Milk were terminated and his likeness was removed from EA Sports video games.

“It’s as if the trial has never happened, and it’s as if the indictment has never happened,” Martin Healy, then the chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association, told PEOPLE in May 2017.

Why did Aaron Hernandez kill Odin Lloyd?

Jonathan Hernandez, brother of late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, sits for a portrait in Westerly, RI on Sep. 24, 2018. A Boston Globe Spotlight Team investigation of Aaron Hernandez’s background found a man who lived a life of secrets - about his childhood, his football career, his sexuality, his drug habits, and his fascination with violence. On closer examination, much about him was not as it seemed or has been commonly reported.Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

“I wanted to tell his story so that people could understand who my brother was,” Jonathan told PEOPLE in 2018. “They don’t know all the struggles he faced.”

Rumors that Hernandez was conflicted over his sexuality also surfaced after his death, with allegedformer boyfriends from both high schoolandprisonspeaking out about their supposed relationships with the ex-athlete. Hernandez’s older brother Jonathan also revealed thathe may have told his mother about his sexualityprior to his suicide.

Additionally, an autopsy after Hernandez’s death revealed thathe suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that has been found in hundreds of former NFL players. His family believed that the CTE diagnosis explained “a lot of things that Aaron did, including his supposed suicide,” his attorney, Jose Baez, told PEOPLE. As a result, the Hernandez familysued the NFL for $20 million, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2019.

What have Aaron Hernandez’s former teammates said about him?

Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Tom Bradyand Hernandez were teammates for two years on the New England Patriots, but the legendary quarterback’s connection with the tight end did not extend beyond the field. “I don’t think about him very often,” Brady said onWEEIin 2017 about his former teammate.

“It’s just very tragic, for everyone involved,” Brady continued. “To have a teammate who we were all in the huddle with, played some great games with. For everybody involved, it’s just a horrible thing. I don’t know what to make of it. It’s just very, very, very sad.”

Brady spoke about Hernandez once again during his Netflix live special,The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady, which premiered in May 2024.

“The bar for a Patriots tight end was pretty low back then — block, catch, don’t murder,” Brady joked, referencing Hernandez’s murder conviction. However, Hernandez’s former fiancée, Shayanna, foundBrady’s jokes during the roast to be in poor taste.

“It’s sad that I’m trying to raise my children in such a cruel world,” Jenkins toldTMZafter the roast.

Hernandez also played alongside Gronkowski on the Patriots. In 2021, the tight end reflected on his reaction to the news of his former teammate’s arrest and conviction.

“Aaron was a great player,” Gronkowski said on the10 Questions with Kyle Brandtpodcast. “He was a great football player … I was definitely shook when I heard everything about it. Because being his teammate and everything and you just, you really don’t see that.”

In 2020, another former teammate told PEOPLE about his relationship with Hernandez and his legacy.

“I look at the things Aaron did and they make me sad,” he said. “He did a lot of things that should not be celebrated in any way. But he was a man who many people loved, and on that level, he should be remembered. Everyone can learn from his mistakes; that’s the way to make sure that his life wasn’t in vain.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.

source: people.com