‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ Cast Guide: Meet Actors Who Play Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Other Real-Life Athletes

Josh Rivera (“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”) stars as Aaron Hernandez, the series’ title character. The real Aaron Hernandez was physically abused for years at the hands of his father, who pushed him to excel in sports. According to his brother DJ Hernandez, Aaron was constantly abused during his childhood by a teenager. He went on to play football at the University of Florida and was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. In August 2012, the team signed Aaron to a five-year, $39.58 million contract extension but later released him after news broke of his arrest for the murder of Odin Lloyd. . In June 2013, Hernandez was charged with first degree murder. In April 2017, he was found dead in his prison cell after committing suicide.

Ross Jirgl (“Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch”) plays Tom Brady, the famous Patriots quarterback and considered by many football fans to be the greatest player of all time. Brady and Aaron Hernandez were teammates on the Patriots from 2010-2012. “The bar for the Patriots tight end was pretty low back then: block, catch, don’t kill,” Brady joked in his May 2024 mid-game.

Laith Wallschleger (“Operation Dagon”) plays Rob Gronkowski, a former New England Patriots tight end and Hernandez’s teammate. Gronkowski played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won four Super Bowls with Brady during his career. “Aaron was a great player,” Gronkowski said on the “10 Questions with Kyle Brandt” podcast. “He was a great football player. But … I get questions like that all the time, about him and everything. And, as everything went on, I really I shuddered when I heard that.”

Patrick Schwarzenegger (“Gen V”) is Tim Tebow, a former NFL player who played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. Tebow and Hernandez were roommates and teammates back at the University of Florida. “It’s heartbreaking and sad, and all my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families involved,” Tebow said of Aaron Hernandez’s July 2013 murder conviction.

Norbert Leo Butz (“The Exorcist: Believer”) plays Bill Belichick, the former Patriots coach and general manager. Belichick coached Hernandez from 2010 to 2012. As general manager, Belichick reportedly turned down a request from Hernandez to be traded to a west coast team during their time together. After the first NFL catch, Belichick banned the team from talking about Hernandez.

Tony Yazbeck (“Billions”) plays Urban Meyer, Aaron Hernandez’s former coach at the University of Florida. Meyer’s coaching tenure in Florida spanned from 2005-2010. Meyer reportedly warned NFL teams not to draft Hernandez, saying “look, this guy’s a football player, but he’s lying to beat the system and he’s teaching all the other guys to beat the system. Marijuana issues, we haven’t caught this guy, but we know he’s doing it. … Don’t—I’m touching that guy.”

Jerry Levine (“Hawaii Five-0”) plays Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The real Kraft was very close to Aaron Hernandez and has admitted that their relationship may affect his judgment about the latter’s behavior outside the field. “Aaron and I, we had a real sense of connection — and love. Every time he saw me, he would kiss me on the cheek,” Kraft said in “At All Costs,” the sixth episode of “The Dynasty on Apple TV+. I mean, this is what I do with my sons. I think he saw me, you know, as a loving father figure.”

Jaylen Barron (“Blindspotting”) plays Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, Aaron Hernandez’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child. The two met in elementary school but didn’t start dating until Hernandez was playing for the Patriots. They were engaged before the birth of their daughter and planned to have a wedding in 2014 before Hernandez was arrested. Jenkins-Hernandez criticized comedy at the expense of Hernandez of Brady and others on Tom Brady’s Comedy Central Roast. In 2023, she was accused of misappropriating her daughter’s self-care funds, including visits to hair and nail salons.

Tammy Blanchard (“Into The Woods”) plays Terri Hernandez, Aaron Hernandez’s mother. The real Terri Hernandez lives in Connecticut today and is still in a relationship with Jeff Cummings.

Ian Castellanos (“Five Days to Remember”) plays Dennis John “DJ” Hernandez, Aaron Hernandez’s brother. Dennis played football for five seasons at the University of Connecticut. He went on to coach at Southington High School in Connecticut, as a graduate assistant at Miami and briefly as the quarterbacks coach at Brown University and the tight ends coach at the University of Iowa. In 2018, he published a book called “The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understanding My Brother” under the name Jonathan Hernandez. It is reported that Dennis threatened to kill his estranged wife and his divorce lawyer. He was arrested and later charged with second degree breach of peace in 2023.

Lindsay Mendez plays Tanya Singleton, Aaron Hernandez’s older cousin. He is said to have been very close to Aaron and was accused of helping him and his accomplices in the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was charged with conspiracy to commit conspiracy but all charges against Singleton were eventually dropped. He was battling cancer at the time of the trial. One of Aaron Hernandez’s cousins ​​said in the report that his mother Terri had an affair with Singleton’s husband, Jeff Cummings. Singleton divorced her husband and Cummings later married Terri.

Scot Ruggles (“All American”) plays Steve Addazio, Urban Meyer’s former assistant coach at the University of Florida. Addazio was able to convince Hernandez to decommit again from the University of Connecticut to the University of Florida during his high school recruiting cycle. Addazio now works at ESPN.