“That kid’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Or in jail.”

In 2013, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arrested for the murder of his fiancée’s sister’s boyfriend, Odin Lloyd. This wasn’t the only major crime he was accused of, Hernandez was eventually convicted and died in prison of an apparent suicide. The 27-year-old, who felt he had run out of excuses and options, had been troubled by thoughts that he suffered from paranoia, sexual identity issues, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) before his death.

There’s a lot going on in the first episode of the new anthology series “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” which comes from the brainchild of Ryan Murphy and his longtime team of writers and directors. Based on the podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.,” the show’s first season centers on the New England-born NFL player (Josh Andrés Rivera) whose fall from grace can be examined from every angle, from murder to possible homosexuality. The first episode immediately takes liberties to reflect a man troubled by his upbringing.

His verbally abusive father offers commentary on the best way to stand up without coming across as a “faggot.” We watch the meteoric rise of the young athlete through college recruiting to eventual professional football superstardom. The first few episodes introduce Hernandez and his inner circle, flanked by the death of his father and the troubled friendships he makes along the way.

Hernandez, a tight end for the Florida Gators, befriended devout Christian teammate Tim Tebow, played on the show by actor Patrick Schwarzenegger. Other teammates and coaches seemed to make excuses for the young player’s early criminal behavior, ignoring the obvious red flags that would haunt anyone following his murderous mood swings. Hernandez’s college coaches, childhood friends, family and everyone in between let his escalating anger issues and drug addiction take over in favor of possible NFL glory.

Much of “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” explores the player’s rise and fall, his personal struggles and the possibility that CTE had something to do with his eventual murder. What creator Stu Zicherman and Murphy find more interesting about the character in real life, however, is the rumored homosexuality that may have affected his personal and professional relationships. While these rumors remain true in real life, supported by Hernandez’s family claiming he eventually came out while in prison, Zicherman and Murphy take direct aim at the early 2000s mentality that homosexuality was the worst thing imaginable among athletes. A feature of Aaron Hernandez’s life that he would surely have wanted to keep hidden, given the cultural attitudes toward the subject at the time.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” takes viewers on a 10-episode journey through the life and struggles of the titular fallen angel. Childhood abuse, affairs with a male high school friend and a stretching therapist, college orgies, drug dealing, the New England Patriots draft, having a baby with his fiancée Shayanna (Jaylen Barron) and countless instances of criminal activity are mere footnotes in a series that weighs in heavily on motive and background. It’s overtly sexual in a way that defines Hernandez’s life as a womanizer on the outside and a depressed, self-hating homophobe on the inside.

The show posits that all of the events leading up to Hernandez’s murder conviction are a direct result of his hidden nature and exploration of what it means to be perceived as masculine, particularly in the early to mid-2000s. A sea of ​​Hollister shirts and “Fergalicious” on the radio set the tone for Hernandez’s life and eventual madness. There’s no nuance here, as viewers are taken on a wild ride of partying and power at a young age.

Rivera takes a vulnerable character like Aaron Hernandez and makes it possible to not only empathize with the real-life character, but also believe in his self-confidence and emotional instability. The “West Side Story” actor’s physical transformation from teenage athlete to NFL muscleman is a slow-burning process that goes hand in hand with the character’s notorious outbursts. It’s a stunning performance that has all the makings of a rocket ship moment for a young actor getting his feet wet in Hollywood.

While Rivera’s smile will melt hearts amid the horrible things his character accomplishes on screen, “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” steers far clear of the watercooler moments achieved by Murphy’s sister series, “American Crime Story.” This new show is filled with larger-than-life depictions of famous names like fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski, Patriots coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft who are relegated to caricatures. At one point, Belichick (Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz) remarks to Hernandez, “Are you a tight end or a receiver?”

These kinds of dialogues undeniably and brutally hint at the fact that everyone suspects something is wrong with Aaron Hernandez, even if they can’t quite put their finger on it.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” takes a risk by staining sports history by depicting a man with the talent to go further than anyone else in his sport, but the system around him is designed to protect the worst things he perpetuates along the way.

Hernandez’s portrayal of a closeted gay man struggling with his identity reaches a boiling point when image is the only thing he cares about. The current dismissal of head trauma as correlated with immorality is fascinating, but it’s treated as a B-story in a series that leans more heavily on the prurient moments of the NFL player’s life and death.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” premieres Tuesday, September 17 on FX and streams the following day on Hulu.