Multiple staffers inside the confines of Gillette Stadium reportedly are not happy with how New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo went about his transition to power.
During an extensive column published Sunday, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard cited multiple anonymous sources who “resented” how Mayo went about his business during the 2023 campaign. Bedard’s reporting paints the picture that multiple staffers believe Mayo was working for himself behind the scenes rather than continuing to serve under Bill Belichick.
Bedard first reported in mid-December that Mayo “rubbed at least some people the wrong way.” His reporting Sunday doubles down on that theory, citing the sentiments came from “Belichick loyalists” after Mayo’s introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
“(Mayo and Robyn Glaser) were doing a lot of calls and information gathering even before the season was over,” one anonymous source told Bedard. “That was a big problem. ‘Why are you asking these questions while Bill’s the head coach? Why is this happening?’ So there were some red flags going up in the office with a bunch of us, where it kind of became very apparent that was already written on the wall to the point where it’s like, okay, we’re not gonna sit here and just experience this (expletive).”
Another source told Bedard: “That’s the head coach. Whatever he says, that’s what goes. There’s no, ‘I want to do it this way. I know, he said this, but I’m gonna do this instead.’ That’s the kind of thing that really rubbed a lot of us the wrong way. I know you think you know how this operates, but (the head coach) says, go, we go. He says, jump, we jump. The head coach says it and everybody else’s job is to do what he says. (Mayo) didn’t do that. As you kind of kept going further and further into the season, you saw more of the almost assumption of ‘I don’t have to do what he wants to do’ because I’m next anyway.”
… There’s a lot of guys who resent the way this went down.
An anonymous Patriots source
A third source added: “There’s a lot of guys who are tied to Bill, there’s a lot of guys who resent the way this went down. … I think that’s kind of, ‘Yeah, we’re going to try to make it look nice, like with Steve and Brian, but the end of the day want to get everybody who’s tied to Bill out.'”
Prior to officially being named the 15th head coach in franchise history, Mayo addressed the report that he rubbed some the wrong way. And when being introduced, Mayo said he wants members on his staff to feel empowered to question him as it helps ensure development.
Mayo’s coaching staff could look much different than that under Belichick. Bill O’Brien will depart New England for Ohio State and Mayo reportedly will interview both Nick Caley and Zac Robinson for the offensive coordinator role. The Patriots have hosted a number of defensive coordinator interviews, as well, with the future of Steve and Brian Belichick still up in the air.
