American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez episode 5, “The Man,” changes the titular athlete’s jersey number during his time with the New England Patriots, but rather than being a continuity error, the alteration holds meaning in the real world as boasting a symbolic interpretation within the show. Josh Rivera leads the American Sports Story season 1 cast as the late tight end. Although the bioseries has been poetically inaccurate with certain details about Hernandez’s life and playing career, the change of his jersey number from 85 to 81 isn’t a deviation from reality.
