TMZ Sports has obtained and published the suicide note Aaron Hernandez wrote to his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, before he hung himself in his cell.
In the note, below, Hernandez tells his fiancee, “You’re rich.” That leads TMZ Sports to speculate he’s referring to the fact that he was aware he would die an innocent man in the eyes of the state of Massachusetts. While Hernandez was serving a sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd, he was appealing the verdict. According to Massachusetts legal doctrine ““abatement ab initio,” because he died during the appeals process, his guilty verdict would be voided.
Without the guilty verdict, some speculate Hernandez may be owed money by the New England Patriots. On August 27, 2012, Hernandez signed a contract extension with the Patriots. The team released Hernandez June 26, 2013, the day he was arrested for the murder of Lloyd. The NFL Players Association has filed grievances on the behalf of Hernandez stating he’s owed a $3.5 million bonus which was a portion of the guaranteed money. He may also be owed $2.5 million in guaranteed base salary.
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah told ESPN legal expert Lester Munson in April that the grievances were “put on hold” until Hernandez’s murder cases were concluded. Presumably, those grievances can now move forward.
In the meantime, Hernandez’s estate has been valued at $0.00. The family’s home, worth $1.3 million, is currently for sale.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
