American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Episode 4 “Birthday Money” finally introduces one of the most iconic, and powerful, characters in the NFL: New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick (Norbert Leo Butz). The FX series has finally arrived at the pivotal moment when a troubled twenty-year-old Aaron Hernandez (Josh Rivera) submits himself for the NFL draft. Even though he is spectacularly talented, Hernandez’s dreams of playing professional football could be easily dashed by the fact that he’s been flagged for drug abuse and run afoul of law enforcement too many times. At the end of the episode, just when hope seems lost, American Sports Story takes us inside Gilette Stadium where the Patriots brain trust is debating who will be their fifth round pick…and the eccentric genius that is Bill Belichick makes a convincing case for young Aaron Hernandez.
Bill Belichick’s arrival to the FX show is an instant sign that the first act of this American tragedy is over. Soon, we’ll be following Hernandez as he attains his dreams of playing football professionally, just to have his demons catch up with him in due course.
Belichick’s introduction is also a subtle tour de force from celebrated actor Norbert Leo Butz. The beloved Broadway great not only looks eerily like the famous Pats coach, but harnesses his quirky personality straight down to the dingy sweats and soft-spoken strategy.
“Bill Belichick had a persona. You know, there are those famous press interviews that he did where he [whispers] barely talks above a whisper,” Butz told Decider during an interview this past July at Summer 2024 TCA. “Which I think is all strategic.”
“You should have done every interview just as him. Just really on the breath. Short answers,” Butz’s interview partner, Patrick Schwartzenegger, joked.
Butz then revealed that through his own research, it became clear that the public’s perception of Bill Belichick was a far cry from the person close friends knew.
“I think most people think of him as this kind of dour, humorless guy, and I found just the opposite. He’s a guy with a great sense of humor, a tremendous sense of loyalty,” Butz said. “He’s divisive figure, I think, in the NFL, but a beloved figure personally.”
Now, does that mean American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez will portray this kinder, gentler side of Bill Belichick in the weeks ahead? Based on what we’ve seen so far — with the characters surrounding Hernandez given nuance and the NFL itself depicted as an inhumane machine — we expect American Sports Story‘s version of Bill Belichick will be complex, to say the least.
