‘American Sports Story’ Finale Recap: Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?

The finale of “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” begins in gruesome fashion, with a human brain being thinly sliced like a regular deli counter.

If you’ve seen any of producer Ryan Murphy’s other shows, including “Nip/Tuck” or “American Horror Story,” you know that such disturbing scenes are quite typical.

The brain here belongs to Hernandez, and the autopsy is an approximate representation of what happened after the former Patriots player died by suicide seven years ago in a Massachusetts prison, where he had been sentenced to serve the rest of his life for the murder of Odin. Lloyd.

Over ten episodes, FX’s “American Sports Story,” based on The Boston Globe’s Spotlight series and its accompanying podcast, explored aspects of Hernandez’s background and personality that may have contributed to his downfall: an abusive father; the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) caused by repeated football-related blows to the head; uneasiness about his bisexuality; out-of-control drug and alcohol use; and coaches and NFL executives who were willing to overlook bad or questionable behavior.

All of these plot points come to the fore in the series finale, with the issue of Hernandez’s sexuality being particularly prominent. Indeed, the latest episode seems to imply that speculation about the footballer’s sexuality – there’s a scene where former WEEI hosts Gerry Callahan and Kirk Minihane (remember those?) joke about reports that Hernandez had relationships with men – was so demeaning for Hernandez that he decided to end his life.

The series finale is titled “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?”, but maybe it should be: “What Aaron Hernandez killed?” Because a forensic examination of the player’s brain by Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist who directs Boston University’s CTE Center, found that Hernandez died with the worst case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy ever seen in someone so young. (Hernandez was only 27 when he died.)

The show ends with a montage of clips from sports commentators addressing Hernandez’s death in the hours after it was announced. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said: “My heart goes out to loved ones whose lives were affected by Aaron Hernandez’s transgressions. … I have no sympathy for him whatsoever.”

Mark Shanahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @MarkAShanahan.