Aaron Hernandez has formally been slapped with assault charges after a jailhouse brawl during which the former NFL star is accused of attacking a defenseless inmate.

TMZ Sports reports Hernandez attacked the man late last month at the height of an ongoing "beef" between the two. The website adds the man was handcuffed at the time he was attacked by the 24-year-old former New England Patriots tight end.

According to Bristol County Jail Sheriff Thomas Hodgson the charge against Hernandez is a misdemeanor and the incident has prompted jail officials to change their procedures in hopes of ensuring no other such attacks are able to take place.

Hernandez remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the execution-style killing of one-time associate Odin Lloyd. The victim's bullet-riddled body was discovered less than a mile from Hernandez's North Attleborough mansion and police have since speculated he may have been killed because he had knowledge of other violent crimes Hernandez is allegedly had been involved in.

Hernandez also remains under investigation for the 2012 shooting deaths of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado outside a nightclub in downtown Boston. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in the Lloyd killing and is expected to go on trial later this year.