Aaron Hernandez’ Star Josh Rivera Reflects on the Footballer’s Tragic Ending

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Season 1, Episode 10, “Who Killed Aaron Hernandez?”]

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez reached its ending as did the footballer at the center of this drama based on the story of former Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, played expertly by Josh Rivera.

And for those familiar with Hernandez and his crimes, they’d know that his ending wasn’t a happy one as he took his own life in prison. Following his death, Hernandez’s brain was studied and found to have Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE, a degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head.

As fans tuned in week to week, the implication of a larger problem going on in Hernandez’s head was hinted at and repeatedly he asked for help, only to be provided with temporary fixes. While it doesn’t excuse his violent actions, the diagnosis certainly delivers a strong message in the show’s final moments about the power of the NFL and the need to treat players with more care.

Eric Liebowitz / FX

“In a lot of industries, you trust that the people [giving you direction] are well-adjusted adult people. There’s that assumption that we are gears moving the whole thing forward. And in a similar vein, I think these giant entities that are in charge of a lot of these athletes, there’s that similar assumption,” Rivera tells TV Insider. But it’s a little different when it comes to athletes who offer their physical talents to the job.

“[For athletes, the thing] they’ve been cultivating for their entire life has been their physical talent and they’re now thrust into this landscape of fame and money and press and media that did not coexist with the way that they were brought up even a little bit,” Rivera points out. And such was the case for Hernandez.

“When you talk about the people taking care of these athletes versus the people who are supporting these athletes, I think there is also culpability in the people who prop up these athletes, where we don’t like to see bad things happen to the people who we claim because they’re winning for us and we want to keep seeing them win. And sometimes we enable certain behaviors because we let people get away with things because they’re winning for us,” Rivera adds.

When it came to Hernandez, Rivera says, “I think that is a very interesting thing to keep in mind when watching the show because there are a few very critical moments in this person’s life where he realizes that he does not play by the same rules as everybody else because he’s physically talented and because everybody loves to see him win.”

One other aspect leading up to Hernandez’s death was the declining health of his cousin Tanya (Lindsay Mendez), who was in the late stages of battling cancer during her final visit to him in prison. Whether that played into Hernandez’s choices onscreen, Rivera could only speculate, but notes, “It certainly couldn’t have helped.”

In addition to losing his dad at a critical point in his life, Rivera notes of Hernandez, “He was surrounded by [a lot of people who were] benefiting from him in some way, and they all leave him.” The only exceptions are Tanya and his fiancee Shayanna (Jaylen Barron). “And to lose one of those two people, I imagine for a lot of people would be a breaking point.”

What did you think of American Sports Story‘s ending for Aaron Hernandez? Let us in the comments section, below, and catch the FX series anytime on Hulu.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Streaming now, Hulu

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.