diff --git a/tez-plugins/tez-aux-services/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/auxservices/ShuffleHandler.java b/tez-plugins/tez-aux-services/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/auxservices/ShuffleHandler.java
index 9730be1869..7e6fd750f8 100644
--- a/tez-plugins/tez-aux-services/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/auxservices/ShuffleHandler.java
+++ b/tez-plugins/tez-aux-services/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/auxservices/ShuffleHandler.java
@@ -1499,7 +1499,6 @@ protected void sendError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, HttpResponseStatus status) {
     protected void sendError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, String message, HttpResponseStatus status) {
       FullHttpResponse response = new DefaultFullHttpResponse(HTTP_1_1, status);
       sendError(ctx, message, response);
-      response.release();
     }
 
     protected void sendError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, String message, FullHttpResponse response) {
@@ -1517,7 +1516,6 @@ private void sendFakeShuffleHeaderWithError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, String me
       header.write(out);
 
       sendError(ctx, wrappedBuffer(out.getData(), 0, out.getLength()), fullResponse);
-      fullResponse.release();
     }
 
     protected void sendError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ByteBuf content,
@@ -1532,6 +1530,11 @@ protected void sendError(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ByteBuf content,
 
       // Close the connection as soon as the error message is sent.
       ctx.channel().writeAndFlush(response).addListener(ChannelFutureListener.CLOSE);
+      /*
+       * The general rule of thumb is that the party that accesses a reference-counted object last
+       * is also responsible for the destruction of that reference-counted object.
+       */
+      content.release();
     }
 
     @Override