WARNING: SPOILERS for American Sports Story.
New FX series American Sports Story Describes Aaron Hernandez's collegiate success as a member of the University of Florida's elite football team. American Sports Story Episode 3 details Hernandez's behind-the-scenes struggles both on and off the field. the nation's top college tight end and recipient of the prestigious John Mackey Award. Established in 2000, the John Mackey Award is not only based on the recipient's talent and performance, but also in recognition of an exceptional person under the helmet and shoulder pads.
Directed by Josh Rivera American Sports Story pour as Aaron Hernandez, former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end Convicted of the 2015 murder of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. The first two episodes. American Sports Story Get a basic understanding of Aaron Hernandez's complicated upbringing and accelerated path to becoming a Florida Gator before joining the NFL in 2010. American Sports Story Hernandez portrays several NFL players and coaches, including Tim Tebow and Tom Brady. The series looks at Hernandez's relationship with Florida State coach Urban Meyer and describes the head injuries that led to Hernandez's 2017 diagnosis of stage 3 CTE.
American Sports Story
now streaming on Hulu.
Mackey was one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history
The John McKee Award is named in honor of the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played three seasons at Syracuse University from 1960-1962. Not only was Mackey boring for the Syracuse Orange, but he was also a versatile offensive weapon at running back. and also a wide receiver. According to Syracuse, “As a junior, he had 15 receptions for a then-school record 321 yards and was a key contributor in Syracuse's 1961 Liberty Bowl victory, catching four passes in a 15–14 victory against Miami.” Mackey had 27 receptions for a career total of 481 yards and six touchdowns78th on Syracuse's all-time receiving yards list (via Sports Reference).
After graduating from Syracuse in 1963, Mackey was selected by the Baltimore Colts as the 19th overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. Mackey would go on to play for the Baltimore Colts for nine seasons before ending his career as a member of the San Diego Chargers in 1972. After reaching the NFL, he played only tight end and became the best player. never do it. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, “John Mackey was only the second player to seriously commit to becoming a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame..” His NFL career total was 331 receptions for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns..
John Mackie Award explained: Who won besides Aaron Hernandez
Brock Bowers of the University of Georgia is the only person to win the award back-to-back (2022, 2023)
John Mackey Award”Presented by the Friends of John Mackey, the nation's most outstanding tight end“, according to the National College Football Awards Association. The first laureate of the award was Tim Stratton from Purdue University in 2000. He is a member of the voting committee for the John McKee Award, along with previous winners Dallas Clark (2002, University of Iowa) and DJ Williams (2010, University of Arkansas). Popular sportswriters like Lee Corso and Phil Steele also make up the voting committee. The most recent recipient, Brock Bowers of the University of Georgia, became the first tight end to win the award in consecutive years (2022, 2023).
Hernandez won the prestigious award in 2009 after his final season at Florida. He is one of two Florida Gators to win the awardwith Kyle Pitts, who currently plays for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, winning the award in 2020. Other notable recipients of the John Mackey Award include TJ Hokkenson (2018, University of Iowa), Mark Andrews (2017), who currently plays for the Minnesota Vikings. University of Oklahoma who plays for the Baltimore Ravens), Hunter Henry (2015, University of Arkansas) who currently plays for the New England Patriots, and 2-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (2004, University of Virginia).
John Mackey's number 88 was retired by Syracuse University in 2007.
John Mackey suffered from dementia and was diagnosed with CTE
McKee was 59 when he was first diagnosed with dementia
American Sports Story John takes care to include Mackie's character accepts the award named after him as the dramatized version of Aaron Hernandez in the series. Mackey's state in the series makes it clear that he is older and his football playing days are far behind him, as Aaron and Mackey's wife Sylvia help him stand up for a photo. According to a Legacy Story published on the Concussion Legacy Foundation website written by Sylvia Mackey, “After being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, Mackey began experiencing memory problems and lost the ability to care for herself.“Mackey was 59 when he was first diagnosed with dementia.
After his death in 2011, McKee was not diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). His family donated his brain to the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank at Boston University, where he was diagnosed with advanced-stage CTE. Like Mackey, Hernandez was diagnosed with advanced-stage CTE after his death in 2017. Hernandez's family also donated his brain to Boston University's CTE Center. Hernandez's CTE was the worst they had seen in any youngster in the history of BU's CTE Center. Sylvia Mackey noted that her husband's “a private battle with dementia became the public face of the relationship between head trauma, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and related diseases..”
John Mackey Dies in 2011 After 2 Years on American Sports Story Stage
Hernandez played in Super Bowl XLVI in February 2012
Aaron Hernandez received the John Mackey Award in early 2010 following the 2009 season. Mackey died on July 6, 2011, about a year and a half after Hernandez won the award. Boston University's CTE Center diagnosed Mackey with advanced CTE in 2012, ie Hernandez was still alive and playing in the NFL when Mackey's information about CTE became public. It will be interesting to see if this moment will be depicted American Sports Story and whether or not Hernandez's fictitious description will take notice.
According to a 2023 study by Boston University's CTE Center, Of the 376 former NFL players who died, 345 had CTECreating a shockingly high diagnosis rate of 91.7% (via Boston University). Hernandez and Mackey were among those 345 and counting. Unfortunately, concussions are quite common in football, especially in the NFL, which recently changed its official protocol for concussions during 2022 NFL games, banning players who show signs of ataxia from returning to the game. The handshake between John Mackey and Aaron Hernandez means more than meets the eye American Sports Story.
Source: Syracuse, Sports Reference, Pro Football Hall of Fame, National College Football Awards Association, Concussion Legacy Foundation