FOXBOROUGH — Hours ahead of kick-off between the Patriots and Falcons at Gillette Stadium, both DeMario Douglas and Terrell Jennings were operating with heavy hearts.

Douglas and Jennings — who grew up together in Jacksonville, competed against one other in Pop Warner and ultimately played on the same Mandarin High School team — both received word that someone close to them had passed away on Saturday night.

“Yesterday, my uncle was shot and killed last night,” Douglas said in an interview with NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “This whole morning, my mood was different, I couldn’t hold my tears.

Patriots WR Pop Douglas told me his uncle got shot & killed last night. Today, he had his best NFL game: 100 yards & TD

“This whole morning, my mood was different, I couldn’t hold my tears… He wa

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