WARNING: This article contains mentions of suicide.
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez tells the true story of the titular NFL star’s playing career, fall, and eventual murder conviction. While the deceased athlete’s playing career was understandably overshadowed by his murder conviction, he was once one of the best players in the country at his position. After thriving at the collegiate and professional levels, Hernandez’s time as a professional athlete came to an abrupt end in his early 20s. But like many professional athletes, he had a remarkable journey to the top.
Josh Andres Rivera leads the cast of American Sports Story as Aaron Hernandez, the actor who portrays the turbulent journey of Hernandez, who committed suicide in prison in 2017. However, the biographical narrative angle also focused a lot of attention on the protagonist’s sports journey, which was not without content.
Aaron Hernandez played three collegiate seasons with the Florida Gators.
Hernandez was recruited out of a high school in Connecticut.
An all-around athlete, Hernandez played a variety of sports and positions while attending Bristol Central High School in Connecticut. He played wide receiver, tight end and even a little bit of defense in high school before being recruited by the University of Florida to play as a tight end. His first collegiate season with the Gators was in 2007 and his final season was in 2009.
Hernandez played in 40 career games with the Florida Gators.
Hernandez would eventually wear the number 81 in the NFL, but wore it while at the University of Florida. According to the Florida Gators, Hernandez’s father passed away during the recruiting process, but his new coaches helped him get through an emotional time. The quarterback who had the most success during his Gators career was future NFL player Tim Tebow (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger in American Sports Story). Hernandez played in 40 career games for the Florida Gators.
The star tight end set records with the Florida Gators
During his time at Florida, Hernandez was an up-and-coming tight end who became more and more involved in the team’s offense each season. He played in all 13 games his freshman year, but only started in three of them. He played in 11 games the following season and 13 games in his final year with the Gators. His 2009 season saw him set two impressive records at Florida: most catches in a season by a tight end (68) and most catches of all time by a tight end (111).
Aaron Hernandez’s career receiving stats with the Florida Gators
year
reception
Total Yards
Average yards per catch
Touchdown
Season-long catches
2007
9
151
16.8
2
55
2008
34
381
11.2
5
38
2009
68
850
12.5
5
64
In addition to his career stats, Aaron Hernandez was the first Florida Gators player to receive the John Mackey Award, which is given annually to the best collegiate tight end. This made Hernandez the first collegiate player from the Southeastern Conference to receive the award. The rising star had two games with over 100 receiving yards in his career with the Gators.
Why Aaron Hernandez didn’t return to Florida for his senior season
Myers didn’t want to bring Hernandez back for his fourth and final year.
To be eligible for the NFL Draft, NFL prospects must have been out of high school for at least three years. Because of this, some players choose to go pro early and not finish their college education. It’s a tough decision, but Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer took the choice out of Hernandez’s hands. According to the Boston Globe, Meyer had grown frustrated with the star tight end due to Hernandez’s marijuana use.
He was selected 113th overall in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Tebow had tried to convince Meyer in the past not to release Hernandez, but the head coach finally told the tight end that he had to turn pro. Meyer clearly didn’t want Hernandez to return for his senior season, so he declared for the draft after the 2009 college football season. He was selected 113th overall in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Aaron Hernandez played three seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
Concerns about Hernandez’s maturity led to him being drafted much later than expected.
Various NFL teams were concerned about Hernandez’s maturity, which led to no team selecting him more than once during the draft. A total of five tight ends were selected before the New England Patriots took a gamble and selected him. One of the players drafted ahead of Hernandez at his position was Rob Gronkowski, who was also selected by New England.
All five tight ends selected ahead of Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL Draft
Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) Ed Dixon (Baltimore Ravens) Tony Moeaki (Kansas City Chiefs) Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints)
Hernandez initially competed for the starting tight end spot, but when it became clear that he was effective when paired with Rob Gronkowski, head coach Bill Belichick began devising custom plays that took into account both players being on the field at the same time. Hernandez’s involvement in the offensive scheme became more prominent during his three-year tenure in New England, but despite his talent and work ethic, he was reportedly not well-liked in the Patriots’ locker room.
Hernandez has played in one Super Bowl and was on the verge of playing in another one.
According to ESPN, Hernandez finished his professional career as a tight end with 175 receptions, 1,956 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. He was used a bit in the Patriots’ rushing attack, but finished with just 97 total yards on the ground. A go-to target for quarterback Tom Brady, Hernandez helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl XVLI in 2012. In his start, New England lost 21-17 to the New York Giants.
Aaron Hernandez’s career receptions stats with the New England Patriots
year
reception
Total Yards
Average yards per catch
Touchdown
Season-long catches
2010
45
563
12.5
6
46
2011
79
910
11.5
7
46
2012
51
483
9.5
5
31
Aaron Hernandez was relatively consistent in scoring over his three professional seasons, posting 36 points in his rookie year, a slight increase to 42 in 2011, and a career-low 30 points in 2012. During the 2013 offseason, Hernandez was arrested for the murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. Not surprisingly, Hernandez was convicted and sent to prison before taking his own life in 2017.
When was Aaron Hernandez’s last NFL game and what happened
The tight end’s final game was a loss to Baltimore.
A few months before tight end Aaron Hernandez beat Odin Lloyd, he was in the starting lineup for the 2012 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. A win would have guaranteed the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in two years, and Hernandez was on the field for every offensive snap. With Rob Gronkowski out with an injury, Hernandez’s starting tight end was Michael Hoomanawanui, but he didn’t get the same amount of exposure as the injured Gronkowski.
Hernandez was thrown 14 passes in the 2012 AFC Championship Game and caught nine of them.
Hernandez received 14 passes in the 2012 AFC Championship Game, catching 9 of them. He finished the game with 83 yards receiving and 6 yards running. He failed to score in his final game as a professional football player. The Patriots lost 28-13. With that, the professional career of Aaron Hernandez, the subject of an American sports story, came to an abrupt end, never to be resumed.
Source: Florida Gators, Boston Globe, ESPN