Aaron Hernandez’s shocking suicide this week, while serving life in prison as a convicted murderer, has caused one prominent NFL reporter to recall a chilling exchange he once had with the star tight end in the Patriots locker room.

“There is one that I think about a lot,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, formerly a beat writer for the Boston Herald, told MMQB.com. “When we first exchanged numbers, he called me over and said, ‘Hey, I just want you to know, you’re my guy. If you need anything, let me know, I will help you out if I can. But I just want you to know, if you f–k me over, I’ll kill you.'”

Rapoport said he tried to laugh off Hernandez’s grim threat. Their exchange was within earshot of CBS reporter William Bendetson.

“He was standing there and had listened and we kind of turned to each other and both laughed,” Rapoport said. “And then the first text I got after it became clear that Hernandez was the suspect in the murder investigation was from William Bendetson, who was like, ‘Hey, remember that day in the locker room?'”

Hernandez, 27, was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. He had been acquitted last week of double homicide charges from a separate 2012 shooting.

Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell early Wednesday. He was hanging by a bedsheet with a Bible verse, John 3:16, written on his forehead in marker. Hernandez reportedly planned his suicide for weeks, leaving behind suicide notes to fiancée Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez and their 4-year-old daughter, Avielle, the Boston Herald reported Friday.