What Does ‘Sports activities Story’ Get Flawed About Aaron Hernandez’s Life and Crimes?

American Sports activities Story tried to precisely depict Aaron Hernandez‘s tumultuous life — however there have been some inaccuracies about each his private {and professional} life.

The FX collection, which debuted in September 2024, stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Hernandez and is predicated on the “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Soccer Inc.” podcast. American Sports activities Story chronicled Hernandez’s time with the College of Florida Gators and New England Patriots before legal issues off the football field caught up with him.

Hernandez was arrested in 2013 for the homicide of Odin Lloyd and was convicted two years later. He was discovered responsible of first-degree homicide in 2015 and was subsequently charged for the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Hernandez’s career in the NFL had come to an end by the point he was acquitted in 2017 and days later was discovered useless at age 27 in his jail cell. His loss of life was dominated a suicide.

Whereas Hernandez’s family members haven’t addressed how Ryan Murphy‘s American Sports Story represented his life, they’ve spoken out previously. Hernandez’s fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, beforehand slammed Tom Brady for telling “merciless” jokes about her late associate throughout The Biggest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady.

“It’s unhappy that I’m making an attempt to boost my kids in such a merciless world,” Jenkins instructed TMZ in Might 2024 after Brady joked during the Netflix special that “the bar for a Patriots tight finish was fairly low again then. Block. Catch. Don’t homicide.”

Maintain scrolling for a few of the inaccuracies seen in FX’s American Sports activities Story:

Cam Newton’s Departure From the Florida Gators

As a school freshman on the College of Florida, Hernandez crossed paths with Cam Newton, who initially played for the Florida Gators underneath head coach City Meyer from 2007 to 2008. Newton’s time on the faculty was lower quick when he was arrested in 2008 on felony prices of housebreaking, larceny and obstruction of justice after being accused of stealing a laptop computer from a fellow scholar.

Newton was suspended from the Florida Gators however in the end all prices had been dropped after he accomplished a court-approved pre-trial diversion program. Based on American Sports activities Story, Meyer dismissed Newton from the group after he was one among a number of gamers — together with Hernandez — who ended up involved in various legal points that 12 months. Newton, nonetheless, transferred of his personal accord three days earlier than the Gators gained the Nationwide Championship. Fox Sports activities reported in 2010 that Newton was prone to expulsion from the College of Florida on grounds of educational dishonesty earlier than he left.

Newton went on to play for the Auburn Tigers, which is the place he gained the Heisman Trophy and the 2011 BCS Nationwide Championship Recreation. He was later chosen to play for the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots. He has not been a part of the NFL for the reason that Patriots selected to not re-sign him after the 2021 season.

Aaron’s Brother D.J. Hernandez Was Not Demoted From College of Connecticut

American Sports activities Story depicted D.J. Hernandez‘s makes an attempt to avoid living in his younger brother‘s shadow. Nevertheless, D.J. appeared to all the time be in comparison with Aaron because the NFL star discovered an increasing number of success. Living proof, the present claimed D.J. was punished when Aaron selected the College of Florida as his faculty choose over College of Connecticut.

The official web site for the College of Connecticut beforehand famous in a press release that D.J. “selflessly volunteered to maneuver from quarterback to vast receiver in the course of the spring” of 2007.

D.J. has continued to make headlines for his personal authorized points following his brother’s loss of life.

Particulars In regards to the Capturing in Boston 

Aaron was indicted on homicide prices in 2012 after de Abreu and Furtado had been killed by gunshots fired into their automobile. The trial came about 5 years later the place Aaron claimed his former good friend — and drug seller — Alexander Bradley was the one that pulled the set off.

The prosecution relied on Bradley’s testimony, who claimed Aaron was upset after de Abreu and Furtado spilled a drink on him in a bar. Bradley accused Aaron of getting his gun and circling the bar till they noticed de Abreu and Furtado. Based on Bradley, Aaron fired his gun five times into the automotive. Aaron’s lawyer, in the meantime, argued that Aaron occurred to be within the neighborhood of the homicide however wasn’t at fault. Aaron was in the end acquitted of the murders however discovered responsible of unlawful possession of a handgun.

American Sports activities Story confirmed Aaron and Bradley heading house when a automotive with de Abreu and Furtado pulled up subsequent to them. Within the FX present’s dramatization, Aaron determined to tug a gun on de Abreu and Furtado earlier than pulling the trigger on screen.

Aaron’s Uncle Was By no means Accused of Sexual Abuse

D.J.’s 2018 ebook titled The Fact About Aaron: My Journey to Perceive My Brother claimed an older boy of their neighborhood sexually abused Aaron when he was 6. Aaron allegedly disclosed the identical info to his mom in letters written shortly earlier than his loss of life that the abuse continued for years after the incident D.J. talked about in his ebook.

American Sports activities Story, nonetheless, closely alluded that Aaron and D.J.’s uncle Robert Valentine sexually abused the youthful Hernandez sibling regardless of his name never coming up in Aaron’s letters or D.J.’s ebook. Aaron’s household didn’t publicly tackle the fictional story line and Valentine died in a 2013 crash earlier than the discharge of American Sports activities Story.

Aaron Had Monetary Instability Throughout His Time as a Rookie

Throughout the 2010 NFL draft, the New England Patriots chosen Aaron as a good finish. Aaron wasn’t chosen by different groups as a result of there reportedly had been issues that Aaron’s allegedly failed drug checks and authorized points whereas in faculty could be a legal responsibility for an expert soccer group.

Aaron was signed to a four-year contract of over $2 million that had a signing bonus of $200,000. The Patriots didn’t give Aaron the anticipated $500,000 signing bonus resulting from issues about his habits off the sphere and as a substitute he obtained a contract that supplied bonuses as much as an extra $700,000 to make up for it.

American Sports activities Story supplied a unique perspective with the fictional Aaron complaining a number of instances a couple of lack of funds resulting from his disappointing rookie deal.

The Existence (or Lack Thereof) of Chris Taylor 

Aaron’s sexuality grew to become a subject of dialog after his 2017 loss of life with a number of individuals from his life claiming he instructed them he was homosexual. Aaron’s highschool teammate Dennis SanSoucie claimed they had been concerned in a secret relationship, which was depicted on American Sports activities Story with Kalama Epstein taking part in SanSoucie.

The present additionally launched a bodily therapist named Chris Taylor (Jake Cannavale) who was concerned with Aaron all through the years after he joined the NFL. Based on the present’s solid and crew, Chris is meant to be a fictional person who represents Aaron’s alleged relationship with males as a catch-all.

The New England Patriots signed a participant named Chris Taylor in 2008 and he remained on the group till 2010. Whereas he was briefly teammates with Aaron, there isn’t a connection between the real-life Taylor and the character Cannavale dropped at life on American Sports activities Story.

Aaron In all probability Didn’t Assault His Mom’s Boyfriend 

After Aaron’s father, Dennis Hernandez, died in 2006, his mom, Terri Valentine-Hernandez, began courting Jeff Cummings. The connection precipitated Aaron to change into estranged from his mom as a result of Cummings was beforehand married to Aaron’s cousin, Tanya Singleton.

American Sports activities Story confirmed Aaron beating Cummings up for harming Terri. The police had been referred to as to Terri’s house in 2010 when Cummings lower her face throughout an argument. Cummings served a two-year sentence for the incident and Terri divorced him on the time.

There was no public record of Aaron having an altercation with Cummings, who was taken into police custody after the assault on Terri.

The Again and Forth Between Aaron and Alexander ‘Sherrod’ Bradley 

In 2013, Bradley was discovered by the police with a bullet wound in his eye. Bradley survived the capturing however wouldn’t identify who was accountable for the assault. Based on textual content messages later obtained by the authorities, Bradley and Aaron threatened each other for the following three months concerning the incident.

Bradley requested $5 million for his silence after claiming Aaron was accountable for his damage. Aaron’s agent responded with $1.5 million however Bradley countered with $2.5 million. Bradley filed a civil lawsuit for damages towards Aaron in 2013, which was withdrawn 4 days later. Aaron’s authorized group filed a postponement request in federal courtroom amid the soccer participant’s separate homicide prices associated to the Boston murder.

Aaron reached a settlement with Bradley in 2016 and the phrases had been by no means disclosed publicly. Aaron’s lawyer later mentioned his shopper referred to Bradley getting shot as a drug deal gone incorrect. The lawyer pointed to textual content messages despatched by Bradley — and admitted into proof — the place Bradley admitted he didn’t bear in mind who shot him.

American Sports activities Story obtained largely all the particulars proper aside from the settlement. The present claimed Aaron’s agent, Brian Murphy, negotiated with Bradley for a payout of $2.5 million when Aaron was nonetheless within the NFL. However a settlement wasn’t reached till Aaron was already behind bars.

Aaron’s Over the High Gun Assortment 

As Aaron’s issues about his security escalated on American Sports activities Story, he acquired a big number of weapons that he stashed away in an condominium he had in Massachusetts. This was doubtless a reference to precise textual content messages between Aaron and Bradley the place the athlete threatened his former acquaintance with claims of automated weapons and handguns. ESPN reported that Aaron’s staff discovered two weapons however there have been by no means any weapons that the police seized after his arrest.

The quantity of safety Aaron acquired for himself was likely a fictional detail American Sports Story launched on display screen.