The images from that morning are still stuck in the collective memory of sports fans. Aaron Hernandez, once a $40 million tight end for the New England Patriots, found dead in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. It was April 19, 2017.
He was only 27.
But it wasn't just the act of suicide that grabbed the world by the throat. It was the notes. Three hand-written letters resting next to a Bible opened to John 3:16. One for his fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez. One for his young daughter, Avielle. And a third that sparked a firestorm of tabloid rumors—originally thought to be for a prison "lover," but later revealed by his attorney Jose Baez to be for the legal team itself.
Honestly, reading the Aaron Hernandez suicide letter transcripts today feels less like reading a goodbye and more like peering into a mind that had completely unraveled.
The "You're Rich" Note to Shayanna
The letter to Shayanna is easily the most famous, and frankly, the most bizarre. He called her his soulmate. He told her she was an angel. But then he dropped a line that felt like a cold, hard business transaction: "You're rich."
People jumped all over that. Was he talking about the "abatement" rule? At the time, Massachusetts law (since changed) meant that if you died while your case was under appeal, your conviction was basically erased. If Aaron wasn't a "convicted murderer" anymore, his estate might have been able to squeeze millions out of the NFL or the Patriots.
"Shay, You have always been my soul-mate and I want you to love life and know I'm always with you. I told you what was coming indirectly! I love you so much... Look after Jano and Eddie for me —they are my boys (You're Rich)."
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He even referenced their song, "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden. It’s a strange mix of suburban romance and grim, calculated legal strategy.
Avielle and the "Timeless Realm"
The letter to his daughter, Avielle, who was only four at the time, is heartbreaking but deeply strange. He didn't talk to her like a toddler. He wrote about the "timeless realm." He told her he could enter "any form at any time."
It sounds like a man who had spent way too much time alone with his own thoughts—or someone whose brain was physically short-circuiting.
"Daddy will never leave you!" he wrote. He told her life is eternal and to "never fear" him. You've got to wonder what a kid makes of that when they grow up. It wasn't a "see you later" note; it was a manifesto about a new state of existence.
The Third Letter and the Bisexuality Rumors
For months, the media was obsessed with the third letter. Initial reports from Newsweek and other outlets claimed it was addressed to a male inmate, fueled by rumors that Hernandez’s secret bisexuality was the motive behind the Odin Lloyd murder.
But when the dust settled, that wasn't exactly the case.
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Jose Baez, the man who won Aaron's acquittal in the double-murder trial just days before the suicide, clarified things in his book Unnecessary Roughness. The third note was actually for Baez. In it, Aaron thanked his legal team, mentioned wanting to send letters to rappers like Meek Mill and Jay-Z to thank them for their music, and asked for a drink "after."
It’s almost casual. That's the part that creeps people out the most. He was planning to end his life, yet he was talking about future favors and grabbing a drink.
CTE: The Invisible Hand
You can't talk about the Aaron Hernandez suicide letter without talking about his brain. After he died, his family fought to have his brain sent to Boston University.
The results were terrifying.
Dr. Ann McKee, the lead researcher, said they had never seen Stage 3 CTE in someone that young. His brain had "significant damage" and "large perforations" in the central membrane. Basically, his brain was shrinking and riddled with the kind of decay you see in 60-year-old former players.
When you look at the letters through the lens of Stage 3 CTE, the weirdness starts to make sense.
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- The impulsivity.
- The spiritual delusions.
- The wild mood swings.
He wasn't just a "bad guy" or a "troubled athlete." He was a man with a rotting brain who was trying to navigate a life-without-parole sentence.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
The Hernandez case changed how we look at contact sports. It's why the NFL has spent billions on concussion protocols. It's why "abatement ab initio"—that legal loophole that would have made him "innocent"—was eventually tossed out in Massachusetts.
If you're looking for closure in these letters, you won't find it. They are the ramblings of a man who was lost long before he stepped into that cell for the last time.
Actionable Takeaways from the Hernandez Case:
- Check the Law: If you're following the legal fallout, know that the "abatement" rule is largely dead in many states now to prevent "suicide-for-profit" scenarios.
- Monitor Brain Health: If you or a loved one play contact sports and notice mood swings or "word salad" in writing, seek a neurological consult immediately.
- Read the Source: Don't trust tabloid snippets. Read the full transcripts released by the Worcester District Attorney’s office if you want the unvarnished truth of his mental state.
The letters didn't solve the mystery of Aaron Hernandez. They just added more layers to a tragedy that we're still trying to figure out.
Next Steps for Research
To understand the full scope of this story, you should look into the Boston University CTE Center's report on Hernandez's brain. It provides the biological context that makes his final letters much more understandable from a medical perspective.