‘American Sports Story’: 8 More Athletes FX Show Should Cover After Aaron Hernandez
Aaron Hernandez could have been one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. Instead, he’s the subject of American Sports Story on FX, an anthology series that explores the stories of the most polarizing, controversial, and infamous figures and events in sports history.
Hernandez grew up in Connecticut, a state that most college football scouts wouldn’t even consider visiting. But when you’re a 6’1, 245-pound wrecking ball of a tight end and pass rusher, you quickly become the desired acquisition of a football powerhouse like the University of Florida.
More than 100 catches, 1,311 receiving yards, a dozen touchdowns, and a national championship later, Hernandez found his way into the NFL as a member of the New England Patriots. He was electric, amassing more than 2,000 total yards and scoring 18 touchdowns in 38 regular-season games. However, his athletic accomplishments rarely come up when his name is mentioned.
Hernandez was violent, struggled with addiction, exhibited abusive behavior, and suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He was ultimately convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd in April 2015 and accused of killing two others. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On April 19, 2017, five days after being acquitted of two murders, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell. His death was ruled a suicide.
Unfortunately, Hernandez is not the only athlete with a dark, fatal, and cautionary story. The stories of O.J. Simpson, Tanya Harding, and others come to mind. As American Sports Story nears the end of its first season, here are eight potential stories for Season 2.
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Tuesdays, 10/9c, FX (Next day on Hulu)
Lee Murray
UFC President Dana White deals with menacing fighters daily, but few, if any, have ever made him say, “He’s a scary son of a bitch, and I don’t mean fighter-wise.”
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, few fighters had the hype and reputation that Lee Murray did. The London-born fighter won eight of his first 10 fights, including four by knockout and another four by submission. Tragically, his career was put on hold after he was stabbed multiple times outside of a nightclub.
While some hoped he would make a miraculous comeback, Murray had other plans. One year after being stabbed, he was known for something else entirely: participating in one of the largest heists in history. At least eight men, including Murray, were convicted of stealing £53 million in cash from Securitas depot in Tonbridge, England. Murray attempted to flee to Morocco, but he was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The rise and fall of Murray has been chronicled as a documentary, but this Bourne-style story deserves the complete series treatment.
Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland
There’s a reason Terrence “Pusha T” Thorton once rapped, “[I’m a] legend in two games like I’m Pee Wee Kirkland.”
Richard “Pee Wee” Kirkland grew up playing hoops in Harlem and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a legend in street basketball and earning a scholarship to Kittrell College in North Carolina. His time in North Carolina was cut short when he earned a spot on the men’s basketball team at Norfolk State University. Alongside future Hall of Famer Robert L. Dandridge Jr., Kirkland led the Spartans to a conference title and two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. His play was so exceptional that legendary basketball coach John Wooden wanted him to play at UCLA. Kirkland finished out his time at Norfolk State instead and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, but he never played in the NBA because he was making more money off of the court than on it.
While Kirkland dominated the court, his reputation in the streets grew stronger. According to Gangsters of Harlem author Rob Chepesiuk, Kirkland went to the mob with hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen jewelry. In return, he received heroin to distribute, which was worth $900,000. However, Kirkland wasn’t known for selling drugs. Instead, he functioned much like an investment banker. As his adopted son, New Child Kirkland, explained to VICE Sports in 2018, “He was the money man. He was [also known as] the ‘Bank of Harlem.’ The guys that wanted to sell bricks of cocaine or heroin. At that time, it was particularly heroin. They would come to him and say, ‘Pee Wee, I need $100,000 [or] Pee Wee, I need $30,000.’ So, he would give them the money, and they would give him $150,000 back.”
Kirkland could pursue his basketball career, maintain a luxurious lifestyle, give money back to the community, and run his illegal business until 1968. After a dispute with then-Chicago Bulls coach Dick Motta, he returned home to New York. Three years later, he was arrested on several criminal charges, including tax evasion. He was sentenced to 10 years at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary and has spent the remainder of his life working with youth, being a keynote speaker, and coaching basketball.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
In December 2018, professional boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (above, left) was on top of the world. He had just earned a majority decision victory against Gennady “GGG” Golovkin to win the lineal middleweight championship and become the most commercially viable attraction in boxing. Ten days before Christmas, he was set to take what most critics deemed a “tune-up” fight against super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding in New York. Not only was he taking his victory lap, but his showdown with Fielding was his Madison Square Garden debut, putting him alongside Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and other greats who have fought at the venue. While Alvarez scored an impressive third-round knockout, his battle outside of the ring puts him on this list.
According to Alvarez, he felt a bit uneasy one week before the fight because one of his brothers had been kidnapped. The boxing star, the youngest of seven brothers, split his time negotiating the release of his older brother and preparing for the big fight. “After I negotiated his release, I was still thinking, imagine if it was my daughter, or my mom or my dad, it would have been even more difficult for me. And on top of that, I had the fight on Saturday, and I had to do a thousand interviews [for the fight]. And nobody knew about it. I would tell my cousin, say this [to the kidnappers], and my cousin would tell me, [the kidnappers] sent this, and I would say, tell them this,” he told Graham Bensinger during an interview in 2021. Negotiating your brother’s release, winning a significant fight, and making millions of dollars in the process? That sounds like a made-for-TV storyline.
Ray Rice
Every American Sports Story doesn’t have to end in death or a lengthy jail sentence, right?
In 2013, Ray Rice seemingly had a beautiful family, a successful NFL career, and the ability to support his loved ones financially. One year later, he effectively ended his football career when he violently assaulted his now-wife, Janay Palmer, in an elevator at Revel Casino. TMZ obtained video of the incident, and Rice’s actions dominated news headlines and sports segments.
While the NFL ultimately reinstated Rice after a brief suspension, he never played a down of football again. Instead, the disgraced former NFL star has spent much of his life attempting to right his wrongs. He has spent his post-playing days working as a youth football coach, speaking to football teams about domestic violence, and running his non-profit, Pipeline 2 Prosperity. Rice’s story may not have a definitive end as he is still alive and adding to his story, but it’s complex, impactful, and far too common within combat and contact sports.
Sonny Liston
For those who don’t follow boxing, Sonny Liston (above, right) is a name that may not ring a bell. He is the man Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, defeated to win the heavyweight championship. While Ali is an icon today, he was a heavy underdog back then, and some even questioned whether he was afraid of the champion before their first fight. In fact, Ali was so frantic that New York Times‘ Robert Lipsyte noted that Ali’s heart rate more than doubled when they came face to face at the pre-fight press conference.
Ali had good reason to be wary of Liston before their first showdown. Not only did the reigning heavyweight champion wear a scowl on his face at all times, but he also knocked out the previous heavyweight champion, Floyd Patterson, in the first round of their two fights. That said, Liston’s menacing reputation didn’t only emerge because of his in-ring dominance, but many also suspect he was connected to the mob and did not control his finances. During his career, he was often photographed with Frankie Carbo, the Kray Twins, and others.
When Liston died in 1970, police reportedly found him in his Las Vegas apartment with heroin, but no feasible device to inject it with. Many found it suspicious that he overdosed without a syringe or needle, so theories began to swirl about him being murdered. While none of the theories have been proven true, Liston’s rise to heavyweight supremacy, sudden fall, and mysterious death make his life fit for screen.
Wendell Lee Jr.
Unique, joyous, and vibrant are just a few of the words family and friends have used to describe Los Angeles native Wendell Lee Jr. With a deep love for basketball, Lee Jr. worked his way through the ranks. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game while leading his team to a conference championship.
Lee Jr.’s talent and work ethic took him from El Camino College to Labette College and, eventually, Colorado State University Pueblo. The college standout didn’t get drafted by an NBA team out of college, but he did play professionally in Mexico before being offered a tryout with the Los Angeles Lakers’ G-League team, the South Bay Lakers. However, a promising trip home to chase his dream was fatal.
On September 22, 2015, he was reportedly having a conversation with a friend in their driveway when an unidentified assailant exited a nearby Sedan, walked up, and fired several shots at Lee Jr., who died from the injuries. While his family has expressed that they believe he was targeted by someone who knew him, officers have never arrested or identified the shooter.
Felix Verdejo
Before super welterweight prospect Xander Zayas and super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga burst onto the scene, Felix Verdejo (above, left) was poised to become the next boxer to headline Puerto Rican Day weekend fight cards at Madison Square Garden. As fate would have it, Verdejo’s stock dropped, not rose, at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2018, when underdog Antonio Lozado Jr. knocked the Puerto Rican prospect out in the 10th round. At 24 years old with a record of 23-1, Verdejo was young and skilled enough to bounce back. However, the hype surrounding the fighter slowly dissipated. He won four consecutive fights before being beaten by Masayoshi Nakatani in 2020. Many didn’t realize it then, but Verdejo, then 27, had stepped into the ring for the final time.
Four months after losing to Nakatani, Verdejo was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Keishla Rodríguez, who was pregnant with their child. Within three years, Verdejo would turn himself in, be convicted of her murder, and receive a life sentence.
Arturo Gatti
When Arturo Gatti (above, left) is mentioned in boxing circles, most will talk about his three epic fights with Mickey Ward. Others may think of the brutal loss he suffered at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. or his controversial knockout of Joey Gamache. Regardless of what moment or fight comes to mind, Gatti’s name is always attached to action. However, his life didn’t end while being celebrated for his accomplishments in the ring. Instead, his death was shrouded in uncertainty.
On July 11, 2009, Gatti was found dead at a seaside resort in Brazil while vacationing with his wife, Amanda Rodrigues, and his 10-month-old son. A coroner’s report said that he was found “suspended and hanged” in the hotel room, and initially, Rodrigues was charged with murder. Gatti’s mother, Ida, described their relationship as volatile and filled with “yelling” and “fighting.” Ida Gatti also confirmed that Rodrigues had filed a restraining order against her son while also noting that her then-daughter-in-law would shout, “I’m going to kill you,” at her son. However, Judge Ildete Verissimo de Lima eventually ruled that the police investigation “excludes the possibility of murder” and released Rodrigues. Given the boxer’s mental health challenges and history of exhibiting self-harming behavior, the cause of Gatti’s death was ultimately categorized as suicide. Like Murray, Gatti’s life has already been showcased through a mini docuseries, but it deserves a complete ten-episode examination.
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