American Sports Story Episode 7 True Story: What Changes the Show

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for episode 7 of American Sports Story.

American sports history Episode 7, “Dirty Pain,” changes several key aspects of Aaron Hernandez’s true story. Josh Rivera directs that American sports history Cast as Aaron Hernandez, the former college and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted in 2015 of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. The first two episodes of American sports history Get a basic overview of Aaron Hernandez’s complicated upbringing and accelerated path to the Florida Gator before joining the NFL’s New England Patriots in 2010. American sports history portrays several NFL players including Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady and Tim Tebow.

American sports history Episode 3 tells of Hernandez’s celebrity status at the He attended the University of Florida before finally declaring for the 2010 NFL Draft. American Sports Story Episode 4 details Hernandez’s transition from a 2010 John Mackey Award winner to a plummeting draft stock before the NFL Draft due to off-the-field concerns. American sports history Episode 5 chronicles Hernandez’s early days as a rookie with the New England Patriots and examines the influences of his new head coach Bill Belichick along the way American sports history Episode 6 depicts a violent shootout Hernandez was allegedly involved in with his friend Sherrod, who pursues him out of revenge in Episode 7.

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Aaron Hernandez never brought a gun into the Patriots’ locker room at Gillette Stadium

The series shows Hernandez with a handgun in the Gillette Stadium parking lot

American sports history In episode 7, the increasingly paranoid Aaron Hernandez is seen removing a pistol from his team bag in the New England Patriots’ locker room. Although there were several true aspects of American sports history In Episode 7, where Hernandez asks to be traded to a team on the West Coast and undergo rehab in California after shoulder surgery, the part where Hernandez carries a gun at Gillette Stadium is completely made up. Handguns and other weapons were eventually confiscated by police after his arrest Hernandez never brought a gun into the Patriots’ homeland in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Alexander “Sherrod” Bradley initially demanded $5 million from Hernandez after he was shot in the face

The two exchanged hundreds of threatening text messages

The real Alexander S. Bradley, known as Sherrod American sports historyHe exchanged hundreds of threatening text messages with Aaron Hernandez. The series aptly expresses Sherrod’s reluctance to report Hernandez to the police so that he had the opportunity to take revenge on Hernandez.

While Hernandez never admitted to the crime in real life and was never charged with attempted murder of Sherrod, he relied on the assistance of his agent, Brian Murphy, to negotiate a possible payout. Sherrod reportedly demanded $5 million before settling on his second demand of $2.5 million, as depicted in the series. In reality, Hernandez settled with Bradley for a confidential amount during detention.

DJ Hernandez found Aaron with a gun on a rooftop in LA, not on a beach in Malibu

Hernandez was caught rubbing his face with the barrel of a gun

During an emotional and tense scene in American sports history Episode 7: Aaron Hernandez’s brother DJ finds Aaron on a beach in Malibu with a gun outside his makeshift apartment in Los Angeles. A similar event actually occurred where DJ found Aaron distraught on a rooftop, holding a gun and rubbing the barrel of the gun against his face (via The Boston Globe). Interestingly, the series takes a step back in recreating this real-life event, as the actual event sounds much more serious at first glance. While Hernandez breaks down and cries in the series, the real scene is even more disturbing.

Police responded to two separate domestic incidents at Hernandez’s LA apartment in the same week

Los Angeles police did not search the apartment on either occasion

Aaron Hernandez and his fiancée Shayanna Jenkins spent the spring of 2013 in Los Angeles with their newborn daughter Avielle while Aaron rehabilitated from shoulder surgery. The series details a domestic incident in which neighbors called the police after hearing screams and objects being thrown. In fact, there were two of these types of aggressive incidents within a week (via The Wall Street Journal). Despite the frequency of these domestic disturbances Hernandez was never arrested and Jenkins remained at the house after telling police she felt safe. Police didn’t even search the area because they obviously knew who Hernandez was.

Aaron Hernandez did not have a hidden arsenal of automatic weapons in his apartment

The series shows Hernandez carrying various assault rifles and automatic weapons

The last scene of American sports history shows Aaron Hernandez with a ridiculous arsenal of automatic weapons and handguns behind a hidden wall in his secret apartment in Franklin, Massachusetts. While he threatened Sherrod via text message that he owned various weapons in real life, including automatic weapons, police did not find these weapons in his apartment or his North Attleborough mansion. According to ESPN, Hernandez’s cleaners found two separate handguns on two occasionsbut never anything more powerful. The seen assault rifles and snipers American sports history look like they came from a first-person shooter video game and are not based on facts.

Sources: The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN