Murphy and his co-producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson initially approached Zicherman about adapting Hernandez’s life story for an upcoming season of “American Crime Story.” But while previous seasons of “Crime Story” — which covered the OJ Simpson murder trial, the assassination of Gianni Versace and the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal — explored the cultural impact of these historical events on American society as a whole, Hernandez’s case provided an entry point into a specific discussion about sports culture and prompted Zicherman to create a new installment in Murphy’s franchise.

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

Hernandez’s inherent – and sometimes contradictory – “chameleon-like” character then served as a jumping-off point for Zicherman, who was keen to shed light on the sides of Hernandez that most people still don’t see. Over the course of 10 episodes, “Sports Story” explores Hernandez’s struggle with sexuality; how his upbringing in an abusive household shaped his behavior on and off the field; and how his brain injuries were exacerbated by his drug use, leading to a posthumous diagnosis of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Zicherman said he and his writers explored the different facets of Hernandez’s personal and professional identity, but that at their core, it all comes down to a search for authenticity.

“This is the story of a person who could never really be himself because of the body he was born into, because of the world he was born into, because of being a good athlete,” he said. “We all try to figure out who we are at different times in our lives, and for him, unfortunately, there was no room for that. So you end up with a lot of secrets, and I think those secrets become punishment over time.”

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

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

In the years since his death, Hernandez’s sexuality has been the subject of much speculation. Some of his relatives claimed he had come out as gay. His high school teammate Dennis SanSoucie claimed he and Hernandez had a secret sexual relationship as teenagers. Prosecutors in Hernandez’s second murder trial even considered raising the issue of his sexual orientation in court. But although Hernandez was said to be attracted to other men, he has a history of homophobic tirades.

“A person struggling with their sexuality would not have been tolerated in the NFL when Aaron played in 2010 and 2011, not in the slightest,” Zicherman said. “It wasn’t tolerated in the Florida locker room. It wasn’t tolerated in the NFL. Maybe it’s different now, I hope. I don’t know. But I know there was no room for him to explore his identity at all.”

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 still “doesn’t necessarily” believe that the football star would voluntarily reveal such an intimate secret to those around him. He pointed out that Hernandez has never publicly acknowledged his sexuality. But the showrunner also did not want to portray the risk of being outed as a justification for Hernandez’s violent actions.

“He loved Shayanna very much and started a family with her,” Zicherman said. “Maybe he felt more authentic in certain relationships with men, but I think he was figuring that out. I don’t think people know how many secrets he had, and living with that pressure must have been unbearable while trying to build a public persona.”

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

Rivera pointed out that “Sports Story” is not about justifying or defending Hernandez’s actions, but rather about highlighting 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 exacerbated 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, you’re surrounded by coaches, agents and people who hug you and take care of you. I think it was a world where people promised him a fatherhood that they couldn’t give him because you’re surrounded by them.”

The actors and creative team behind “Sports Story” have chosen not to contact any of the real people involved in Hernandez’s case, relying instead on the extensive research of Boston Globe journalists. But they recognize that there is some risk in retelling a story that is still relatively fresh in the cultural discourse and could force the victims’ families to reopen a painful chapter they would rather keep closed.

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

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

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

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