WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.
The Hulu/FX seriesAmerican Sports Storydepicts the early childhood and death of Aaron Hernandez’s father, Dennis Hernandez. Thefirst two episodes ofAmerican Sports Story, which premiered on July 30, 2025, on FX, capture a basic understanding ofAaron Hernandez’s complicated upbringing, tumultuous family life, and accelerated pathto becoming a Florida Gator and New England Patriot. It also depicts the influential role of his father and how Aaron’s life completely changed after his death.
Josh Rivera leads theAmerican Sports StorycastasHernandez, a former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted ofmurdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloydin 2015. American Sports Storyportrays several NFL players and coachesin addition to Hernandez, including superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski, legendary Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and the Patriots' billionaire owner Robert Kraft. Additionally,Hernandez’s real-life family members, including his mother Terri and cousin Tanya, are also dramatized in the series.
Dennis Hernandez Died From Complications During Hernia Surgery
He died in 2006 at 49 years old from unforeseen complications during surgery
Aaron Hernandez’s father, Dennis Hernandez, was never able to see Aaron play football at the collegiate or professional level despite training him throughout his entire childhood. As depicted inAmerican Sports Story, Aaron was expected to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps and play football at UConn, where he would have a starting role as a freshman. Although this was the original plan, everything changed for Aaron whenDennis died during what was supposed to be a routine hernia operation to repair an old football injury.
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Aaron Hernandez shoots his friend in the opening scene of American Sports Story based on real-life testimony given in his 2017 double homicide trial.
Because of an infection discovered during the hernia surgery, Dennis Hernandez died at the age of 49 when Aaron was still in high school in Bristol, Connecticut.Dennis earned the nickname “King” around his local community and was idolizedby families, friends, and Aaron’s teammates. Although Dennis had quite a renowned public image and a firm reputation as a great father, he was incredibly demanding and abusive towards Aaron and his older brother D.J.The Boston Globefirst reported that “Aaron and his older brother were often beaten and brutalized by their dad. Aaron didn’t cry at his father’s funeral, and people took note. He kept it all inside.”
Even though Aaron’s father Dennis abused Aaron, a key detail that was left out of the first two episodes ofAmerican Sports Story, Dennis was Aaron’s greatest role model throughout his childhood. After Dennis died when Aaron was 16,Aaron’s mother Terri began an affair with Jeff Cummings, the husband of Aaron’s cousin Tanya Singleton. It was at Tanya’s house where he met Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace, who were both found guilty of accessory to murder after the fact in Hernandez’s 2015 murder conviction of Odin Lloyd. While there are many puzzle pieces in the story of Aaron Hernandez’s life as depicted inAmerican Sports Story, Dennis Hernandez was certainly one of the biggest.
American Sports Story: What Tom Brady Has Said About Aaron Hernandez
7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady played with the subject of American Sports Story Aaron Hernandez between 2010-2012 on the New England Patriots.
American Sports Story
Cast
American Sports Story is a TV show from Stu Zicherman and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. The series stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez and Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow. The sports anthology series serves as the fourth installment in Murphy’s “American Story” franchise.
