Murphy and co-producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson first approached Zicherman about adapting Hernandez’s life story for an upcoming season of “American Crime Story.” But while previous seasons of “Crime Story” — which have examined the O.J. Simpson murder trial, the Gianni Versace killing and the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal — have explored the cultural impact of those historical events on American society as a whole, Hernandez’s case represented a way to engage in a specific conversation about sports culture, which prompted Zicherman to create a new extension of Murphy’s franchise.

As a sports fan, Zicherman thought he knew Hernandez’s story. But early in his research process, Zicherman listened to tapes of Hernandez’s prison phone conversations, obtained by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team during their investigation, and realized that he spoke and acted differently with each member of his inner circle.

Hernandez’s inherent — and sometimes contradictory — “chameleonic” nature then served as a jumping-off point for Zicherman, who was eager to shed light on the parts of Hernandez that most people aren’t yet aware of. Over the course of 10 episodes, “Sports Story” explores Hernandez’s struggles with sexuality; how his upbringing in an abusive household shaped his state of mind on and off the field; and how his brain injury was exacerbated by his drug use, resulting in a posthumous diagnosis of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Zicherman said he and his writers explored the various sides of Hernandez’s personal and professional identities, but he said they all come down to a search for authenticity.

“This is a story about someone who never really got to be himself because of the body he was born into, because of the world he was born into, because of how good of an athlete he was,” he said. “We’re all, at different points in our lives, trying to figure out who we are, and for him, unfortunately, there wasn’t room for that. So you end up with a lot of secrets, and I think those secrets become criminal over time.”

Rivera, best known for his starring roles in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and last year’s “Hunger Games” prequel, said he explored how these secrets might manifest for Hernandez.

“One thing I thought about a lot was how stressful it would be to have a side of yourself that you feel like you have to run away from or repress, and what that would do to a person’s psyche in general,” he said. “A big part of how the show explores that is just this character feeling like he doesn’t belong anywhere, or doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere.”

In the years since his death, Hernandez’s sexuality has been the subject of much speculation, with some of his loved ones claiming that he had come out as gay. His high school teammate Dennis SanSoucie alleged that he and Hernandez had a secret sexual relationship as teenagers. The prosecutor in Hernandez’s second murder trial even considered raising the issue of his sexual orientation in open court. But despite reportedly being attracted to other men, Hernandez reportedly had a history of anti-gay tirades.

“Anyone who was struggling with their sexuality in the NFL when Aaron was playing in 2010, 2011, would not have been tolerated, not one bit,” Zicherman said. “It was not tolerated in the Florida locker room. It was not tolerated in the NFL. Maybe it’s different now, I hope. I don’t know. But I know there was no space for him to explore his identity.”

In the series, Hernandez falls in love with a man named Chris (Jake Cannavale) while publicly dating his future fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins (Jaylen Barron).

Zicherman, who still doesn’t “necessarily believe” that the soccer star would choose to share such an intimate secret with those around him, pointed out that Hernandez has never publicly announced his sexuality, but the showrunner also didn’t want to use the threat of coming out as justification for Hernandez’s violent actions.

“He had a very strong love for Shayanna and he built a family with her,” Zicherman said. “Maybe he felt more authentic in certain relationships with men, but I think he was figuring it out. I don’t think people know how many secrets he had and living with the pressure of that must have been unbearable as he was trying to establish a public persona.”

In each of the intimate scenes, Rivera felt it was important for his version of Hernandez to have “this undercurrent of discomfort, regardless of the gender of the person he’s pursuing or exploring.” The actor made a conscious decision to make Hernandez’s intimate scenes with SanSoucie in the first episode, when their exploration of sexuality still has a hint of youthful innocence, as playful as possible. But as Hernandez’s profile rises and he starts to have more to lose, “I wanted there to be this weird, almost ominous, uncomfortable veil over it. There’s a part of him that’s just never really willing to just be,” he explained.

Rivera noted that “Sports Story” is not intended to justify or defend Hernandez’s actions, but rather shows the confluence of factors that may have led him to commit murder.

Zicherman speculated that the normalization of violence, coupled with the toxic masculine ideals his father instilled in him, ultimately destroyed Hernandez’s life, and his drug use only contributed to his mania and paranoia. After losing his father at a young age, “I think he was always looking for a father figure,” Zicherman said. “In football, because you’re surrounded by coaches and agents and people who put their arms around you and take care of you, I think it was a world where people promised him a father role that they weren’t ready to deliver.”

The cast and creative team of “Sports Story” opted not to contact the real people involved in Hernandez’s case, relying instead on the extensive research of Boston Globe journalists. But they acknowledge that there is an inherent risk in retelling a story that is still relatively fresh in the cultural conversation and that it could force the victims’ families to reopen a painful chapter they would rather keep closed.

Rivera admitted he’s feeling “a little nervous” but “cautiously optimistic” about the series’ reception.

“My ideal dream scenario is that everyone feels relatively honored and that the core idea of ​​what we want to convey with our show is received. I hope it is received positively, but it doesn’t always work out that way,” he said.

Although “Sports Story” is a fictionalized version of a true story, the writers tried to “capture the essence of each character,” Zicherman said. “We tried to write some scenes and moments for the victims and their families and to represent them. But you try your best to stay as close to the essence of the story as possible and hope that it doesn’t offend or hurt anyone.”

For more from NBC Out, Sign up for our weekly newsletter.