Former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes picked an odd way to celebrate Super Bowl LIII. Prior to the big game, Spikes thought it would be a good idea for him to post a picture of Aaron Hernandez.

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The tweet features five fire emojis and then a couple hashtags mentioning the Super Bowl.

Spikes and Hernandez played in the Super Bowl in 2012, when the Patriots lost to the New York Giants, 21-17.

While Spikes likely just wanted to reminisce about the moment, one might wonder why he didn’t use a different picture. Or, at the very least, why he didn’t crop Hernandez out of the photo.

Spikes wasn’t the only person with Hernandez on his mind. At least one fan showed up to Super Bowl LIII in a Hernandez jersey.

After three seasons in the NFL, Hernandez was arrested during the 2013 offseason and charged with murder. He was found guilty in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. Two years later, Hernandez was found dead in his cell. His death was ruled a suicide.

Given the murder charge, Hernandez isn’t really a player former teammates are clamoring to be associated with these days.

So, why post the picture? Either Spikes is trying to make some type of statement or he’s out for attention — which he’s getting.

Spikes and Hernandez went to Florida together and were part of the same draft class with the Patriots. That offers an explanation for why Spikes would send out that picture, but not a good one.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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