Ex-Aaron Hernandez Patriots Teammates Detail Mood Swings, Strange Conduct

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

Before New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was ever accused of murder, his former teammates noticed bizarre behavior in his daily life.

A six-part series by the Boston Globe went behind the scenes of Hernandez's life and detailed some irregularities seen during his NFL career.

"There would be swings where he'd be the most hyper-masculine, aggressive individual in the room, where he'd be ready to fight somebody in fits of rage," Patriots receiver Brandon Lloyd said of his one-time teammate. "Or he'd be the most sensitive person in the room, talking about cuddling with his mother. Or he'd ask me, 'Do you think I'm good enough to play?'"

Hernandez was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd before killing himself in prison in 2017.

Lloyd also said he received warnings about Hernandez from Wes Welker, who told him: "Just do your best to ignore it. Even walk away."

Hernandez had apparently threatened to "f--k up" Welker when he first joined the team.

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Even before the Patriots selected him in the fourth round, there were rumblings about the tight end being an off-field problem.

"Scouts described him as a social misfit with a serious marijuana habit, and there were concerns about his possible ties to criminals in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut," Bob Hohler wrote.

Going to New England allowed him to stay relatively close to his friends with criminal records, whom he hired as assistants.

"I knew they were trouble," former Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher, who was friends with Hernandez, said of the hometown friends. "Everybody kind of did."