ASHBURN, Va. – Brandon Lloyd’s days as a rebel go back to kindergarten, where he managed to get in trouble over the prerequisite question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

His classmates had given the expected answers – firefighter, doctor, lawyer. But Lloyd’s response of “I want to be a professional athlete” didn’t please the teacher, who called his choice unrealistic.

Lloyd pushed back. “I’m like, ‘No, that’s what I want to be,'” he said. “So I got sent to the principal’s office.”

Unlikely as it might seem, that flash of discipline was a turning point in Lloyd’s young life. The principal, Brad Barnhart, told the rambunctious 5-year-old it was OK to want to be an athlete and it was a goal that could be achieved.

Twenty years later, as a well-paid receiver for the Washington Redskins, Lloyd can’t thank Barnhart enough.

“It was one of those things where he touched my life and let me go,” Lloyd said. “He understood I meant good. My intentions were good. I was never a bad kid. I just had a lot of energy. I just needed to be guided in the right direction, and he did that.”

Lloyd has brought hefty doses of both talent and character to the Redskins, who acquired him in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in March. He and another newcomer, Antwaan Randle El, join Santana Moss to form a trio that is expected to pile up yards in new assistant coach Al Saunders’ high-octane offense. And he’s got quite the personality.

“He’s turning into one of our locker room clowns,” quarterback Mark Brunell said. “He’s loud, he’s fun, he’s a great locker room guy. He’s a great fit for us.”