Being all things to all people is impossible. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to live up to people’s expectations, your efforts find a way of sabotaging your best intentions from the inside out. The pressure to perform regardless of your mental well-being often follows athletes like a relentless ghost. All it takes is one slip-up to send you on a downward spiral. In the case of Aaron Hernandez, the gridiron warrior learns the hard way that football dreams and crime don’t mix. FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez trailer digs deep into the athlete’s downfall for a cautionary tale about expectations, drugs, and throwing it all away.

The first installment of American Sports Story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. The limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture.

FX‘s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez trailer takes us inside the mind of one of the NFL’s most tragic and controversial players. When he was little, Aaron had big dreams of becoming a champion of the football field. He worked hard for his shot at the big time and achieved his goal alongside winning the admiration of others invested in his future. However, life has a way of catching up with you, and when others who don’t have your best interests in mind stir the pot, the consequences can be deadly. As Aaron’s life spirals out of control, he finds himself on the business end of a crime wave with alarming consequences.

Josh Rivera stars as Aaron Hernandez, the University of Florida player who becomes a three-season stand-out for the New England Patriots. The series also stars Jaylen Barron (Shayanna Jenkins), Lindsay Mendez (Tanya Singleton), Ean Castellanos (DJ Hernandez), Tammy Blanchard (Terri Hernandez), Tony Yazbeck (Urban Meyer), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Tim Tebow), Thomas Sadoski (Brian Murphy), Jake Cannavale (“Chris”) and Norbert Leo Butz (Bill Belichick).

Ryan Murphy executive produces American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez alongside Stuart Zicherman, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, and Carl Franklin.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez debuts on FX on September 17. Are you familiar with Hernandez’s story? Are you interested in checking this out? Let us know in the comments section below.

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