Ex-NFL linebacker Brandon Spikes speaks out after Phillip Adams allegedly kills 5 in South Carolina shooting

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Former NFL linebacker Brandon Spikes, who played with Phillip Adams for a portion of the 2011 season when the two were on the New England Patriots, urged his former teammates to reach out if they need anything.

Spikes’ message on Twitter came after Adams was identified as the suspect who shot and killed five people, including a prominent South Carolina doctor, in a rampage Wednesday. Police have not been able to pin down a motive just yet.

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"Omg so sad. I remember buddy in the locker room This why i do my best 2 check on my people when i can. Teammates don’t hesitate to hit my line if u need to talk it’s been the same since 7th grade," Spikes tweeted. "Damn that s—t broke my heart."

There’s been speculation over what caused Adams to allegedly go into a rage and leave Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife, their two grandkids and an air-conditioning technician dead, with another injured.

In an interview with WBTV News, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he was told by law enforcement officials that Lesslie treated Adams and the doctor "stopped giving him medicine and that’s what triggered the killing."

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said there was no indication there was a doctor-patient relationship between Adams and Lesslie.

PHILLIP ADAMS DESCRIBED AS 'LOST WITHOUT FOOTBALL' AS POLICE LOOK TO PIN DOWN MOTIVE

Adams’ agent, Scott Casterline, told The Associated Press that Adams was "lost without football." Adams played in the NFL from 2010 to 2015 with a number of teams but was often injured.

"He had an injury his rookie year," Casterline said. "Some teams wrote him off and he had that stigma of a guy who was hurt. His ability was better than a guy who bounced around a lot. All that weighed on him heavily. He had (six) years, a great career, but he felt he had more. It was hard for him to walk away from the game, especially a guy as dedicated as he was."

Casterline said Adams had a tendency to cut off the world when he was hurting.

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"We encouraged him to explore all of his disability options and he wouldn't do it. He would isolate, but that's who he was, so it wasn't a big concern. I knew he was hurting and missing football, but he wouldn't take health tips offered to him. He said he would but he wouldn't. I felt he was lost without football, somewhat depressed, but he was really hard to follow because he would isolate," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.