Everyone expects a sports biopic to take some liberties with the way characters and scenes are portrayed, so FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez has some wiggle room. But can a show take that premise too far?
The 10-part series from Stu Zicherman and Ryan Murphy, covering the rise and dramatic fall of the former New England Patriots tight end, aired its fifth episode, “The Patriot Way,” this week. It’s sparked plenty of talk. Rob Gronkowski, a former teammate of Hernandez, spoke out on Up & Adams Thursday, saying his portrayal in the series is “definitely over the top.”
But one scene in particular in the latest episode raised eyebrows for its inaccuracy. The scene shows Hernandez leaping in the back of the end zone to catch a short pass from Tom Brady for his first NFL touchdown.
The TD celebration is uncannily acurrate pic.twitter.com/W7xBFUJTpU
— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) October 10, 2024
First, the scene is poorly shot. Although it doesn’t show Hernandez’s feet on the play, commenters on social media are convinced he would have been well out of bounds.
And then there’s the celebration, where Hernandez is shown spinning the ball like a top and dancing theatrically, as head coach Bill Belichick (portrayed by Norbert Leo Butz) looks on disapprovingly from the sideline. (By the way, Butz is drawing strong reviews for nailing the mannerisms of the Patriots legendary coach.)
Here’s the real play in question, from the Patriots’ 34-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 7, 2010.
real play: pic.twitter.com/9r5cjVa463
— Larry (@happyperson195) October 10, 2024
The inaccuracy of the celebration is notable, because the theme of the episode, indeed, the general theme of the series overall, is that Hernandez needed to be more mature. In fact, Belichick’s character told Hernandez during the episode, “This is a man’s team. Be a man.”
The actual TD celebration seemed far more mature and muted than portrayed in the episode, which of course goes against the narrative. It’s one scene that probably could have benefited from better editing and scripting.
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About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.