A promising football player, Aaron Hernandez‘s rise and fall is examined in the latest installation of American Sports Story. The convicted killer‘s net worth is an interesting insight about how his crimes affected his family and their own current finances.
Aaron Hernandez was an NFL player who was 113th drafted in 2010 for the New England Patriots. Along with Rob Gronkowski, he was named one of the best tight-end duos in the league and made an appearance in Super Bowl XLVI. In 2013, he was arrested and charged for the murder of his fiancé’s sister’s boyfriend Odin Lloyd. He was later charged for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado—but was later acquitted in 2017.
Days after the acquittal, Hernandez died by suicide in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. He is survived by his fiancé Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez and their daughter Avielle (born 2012).
Related: Tom Brady’s Net Worth Includes a Huge $375M Deal With Fox Sports & What He Earned in the NFL
What was Aaron Hernandez’s net worth?
Aaron Hernandez’s net worth is estimated to be around $50,000 according to Celebrity Net Worth. The site reported that Hernandez was nearly broke during his trial. He was reported to liquidate his assets such as his Hummer and house to pay off bills.
What was Aaron Hernandez’s salary?
Aaron Hernandez’s starting salary for the New England Patriots $540,000. He signed a five-year extension through 2018— a $39,582,000 contract with the New England Patriots, including a $12,500,000 signing bonus, $15,950,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $5,654,571, according to Spotrac.
How much did Aaron Hernandez leave behind for his family?
Aaron Hernandez reportedly didn’t leave a will for his family. Celebrity Net Worth reported that he had as much as $6 million in guaranteed salary and bonuses owed to him by the Patriots. His daughter has a trust amounting to $700,00 as of 2024. She will access the fund when she turns 25. Aaron Hernandez’s fiancé Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez receives checks from Hernandez’s NFL pension and social security amounting to about $150,000 a year.
In 2023, independent third party trustee David Schwartz, who oversees the fund, denied a $10,697 bill for her daughter’s dance lessons. “I believe that (Jenkins-Hernandez) has been co-mingling the child’s funds with her own,” wrote Schwartz’ lawyer Rovert O’Regan in a court filing. ”I believe that Ms. Jenkins-Hernandez’s ongoing conflict, her almost five-year-long record of excessive expenditures, continuous violation of this court’s decree … and her failure to file an inventory and up to date accounts all indicate that despite what might be her best intentions, Ms. Jenkins-Hernandez is not effectively performing her duties as conservator.”
Schwartz reported that Jenkins-Hernandez spent $36,858 on clothing, including maternity wear; $39,347 on home goods; $25,577 shopping online; $11,792 in “self care,” including gym fees, and visits to hair and nail salons. However, Jenkins-Hernandez insisted she hasn’t improperly spent money and the money from the trust fund should be available when she needs it. “Since Aaron’s death, my sole focus has been on raising and providing as stable a life for my children as possible,” Jenkins-Hernandezwrote in an e-mail to the Boston Globe. “All monies I have spent have been with this singular focus in mind, and this will continue to be my focus going forward.”
Her lawyer, Stephen Withers said that the controversy was “much ado about nothing. What Shayanna has done is focus on her children … Any allegation or insinuation that she’s spending money inappropriately or for any other purpose is absolutely false.”
