CHARLOTTE, NC — A new FX series dives into the rise and fall of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.  His story made national news when the NFL star was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.  “A lot of times when stuff like this happens, you find somebody with a murder conviction, particularly one that shocked everybody as much as this one did. The question that a lot of people ask is, what? What happened to this person or why?” actor Josh Rivera said.   The show works to answer some of the “why” in what was a troubling case –  taking viewers through his struggle with his sexuality, his time as a rising football star at the University of Florida and ultimately his downfall.   Josh Rivera plays Hernandez  in the show and  he says it was a role that was both challenging and insightful.  “There’s a lot of factors that go into it that I think you get one side of it from the the media surrounding the initial shock of the of the murder charge and the case, but the amount of things behind that and the amount of components in this person’s life, it made it such a complex character,” Rivera said.  Rivera said the series could also help to give people a better perspective on Hernandez and the events that led up to the murder of his former friend.  “I think there’s a lot of very human experiences that this person goes through that I think are worth talking about,” Rivera said.  It also opens the door for a conversation on mental health and CTE.  “I would hope that it opens up some conversational points that get talked about a little bit more in depth,” Rivera said.