Here’s What Happened To Aaron Hernandez From American Sports Story

Trigger Warning: This piece contains mention of suicide.

There’s no shortage of sports scandals to tell on American Sports Story, the new FX series dedicated to infamous athletes’ headline-making moments. The first season, which premieres on Sept. 17, revisits the life of late football player Aaron Hernandez, who was at the beginning of his NFL career when he was convicted of murder.

“It’s a story with a lot of factors, as I’m sure everybody with familiarity towards it knows,” Josh Andrés Rivera, who plays Hernandez, told Deadline. “There’s the mental health factor, the crime factor, the money, the fame, all of these things.”

Indeed, the story of Hernandez’s life and career is complex — as documented in The Boston Globe and Wondery podcast, Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football, Inc., on which American Sports Story is based.

Catching up in time for the new series? Here’s a brief summary of what happened to Aaron Hernandez, and what he did to become one of the most notorious athletes in history.

A Short-Lived Career

After playing college football for the Florida Gators, Hernandez was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2010. Only three years into his professional career, the tight end was charged with the murder of his friend, Odin Lloyd. The Patriots released him right away.

According to The New York Times, prosecutors said Lloyd had been shot multiple times and reportedly “angered Hernandez for talking to the wrong people.”

Though he initially pleaded not guilty, Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison.

Hernandez Died In Prison

In April 2017, Hernandez died by suicide in prison. Later, according to The New York Times, a posthumous examination of Hernandez’s brain revealed to researchers that he had severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

On behalf of Hernandez’s young daughter — who he shared with fiancée Shayanna Jenkins — his estate filed a lawsuit against the NFL and Patriots. It alleged “that the league and the team knew that repeated head hits could lead to brain disease, yet did not do enough to protect Mr. Hernandez from those hits,” per the Times.

However, in 2019, the Associated Press reported that a judge ruled that the suit could not go forward because Hernandez’s family had not opted out of the league’s concussion settlement in 2014.

As recently as this year, Jenkins spoke out against jokes concerning Hernandez’s death at The Roast of Tom Brady. “It’s sad that I’m trying to raise my children in such a cruel world,” she told TMZ in May.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free 24/7 support. You can also reach out to the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860, the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386, or to your local suicide crisis center.