What you should know about Aaron Hernandez's sexuality before American Sports Story

Ryan Murphy is back with another show ripped from the headlines.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez in the newest installment in Murphy's greater American Story universe and will focus on former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, who was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd after three seasons with the New England Patriots.

While the show will definitely be focusing on his youth, his college years, and his chronic traumatic encephalopathy (a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma, which he was posthumously diagnosed with), the recently-released trailer also sees to hint at some focus on his sexuality...

Hernandez had a difficult life, dealing with abuse, violence, sexual abuse, and repeated traumatic brain injuries due to football. He ended up taking his own life while in prison. Throughout his struggles, there was plenty of rumors and speculation about his personal life and sexuality.

In a 2018 Boston Globe article, Hernandez's high school friend and teammate Dennis SanSoucie said that the two of them began a "now-and-then sexual relationship" in middle school, which continued through high school.

"Me and him were very much into trying to hide what we were doing," SanSoucie said. "We didn't want people to know."

"I was in such denial… because I was an athlete," he later said to Oxygen. "'You mean to tell me that the quarterback and the tight end was gay? He sleeps with other men?' No, it doesn’t sit right with people. It doesn’t sit right within our own stomach at that time."

Hernandez's brother, Jonathan Hernandez, said that homophobia was a regular part of the abuse they faced from their father.

"'Faggot' was used all the time in our house. All the time," he said. "Standing. Talking. Acting. Looking. It was the furthest thing my father wanted you to even look like in our household. This was not acceptable to him."

Jonathan Hernandez also wrote a book, The Truth About Aaron: My Journey to Understand My Brother, where he said that he had once asked Aaron if he was gay.

"'If you are, I don't care,' I said. 'I love you. You are my brother,'" the book reads. "'Don't you ever ask me that again,' Aaron said. 'If you say that again, I'll f*cking kill you.'"

At the time of his arrest, Hernandez was engaged to Shayanna Jenkins, a girl he had known since elementary school, and together they had a daughter.

Hernandez was a very troubled man, and his apparent shame around his sexuality was one of many things that caused him trouble.

American Sports Story stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow, Tony Yazbeck as Urban Meyer, Norbert Leo Butz as Bill Belichick, as well as Lindsay Mendez, Jake Cannavale, Catfish Jean, Jaylen Barron, Tammy Blanchard, Ean Castellanos, Thomas Sadoski, Kwadarrius Smith, and Casey Sullivan. The series premieres with two episodes on FX on September 17.