Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza insists he ‘was an a-hole sometimes’ as team leader

No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza identifies as a football nerd known for delivering inspirational messages. But the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback says he wasn’t always “humble and pretty fuzzy and warm” while leading the Indiana Hoosiers to the program’s first national championship in 2025.

“I wasn’t always the nice guy. I was an a-hole sometimes because I wanted everyone to do their one-eleventh, everyone to do their job, hold everyone to a high standard,” Mendoza said, per Raiders. com .

MORE: Notable former NFL players’ sons who were drafted or signed as UDFA Raiders reporter Levi Edwards described Mendoza’s first day in the team facility after Las Vegas selected him with the first overall pick . Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy, said he recognizes he built up equity at Indiana that allowed him to hold teammates accountable. He hasn’t done that yet with the Raiders.

“Coming to a new organization, starting from the bottom of the totem pole, I believe that leadership is earned, not given,” Mendoza said. “You have gotta do your job before you can hold other people accountable. ” Mendoza certainly did his job at Indiana after transferring from California.