Stop us if you’ve heard this before: New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo backtracked on a prior comment.
Following the Patriots’ 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Mayo snarkily referenced the franchise’s Super Bowl XLIX win over the Seattle Seahawks. It occurred when Mayo was asked if he considered taking a timeout during Indianapolis’ 19-play drive, or before the Colts’ game-winning two-point conversion.
“Absolutely, there was a thought,” Mayo said. “We have also won a Super Bowl here doing it the other way. Keeping our timeouts is what I thought was best for the team.”
Bill Belichick opted not to do call timeouts at the end of Super Bowl XLIX, including before Malcolm Butler’s interception. Mayo making note of the historic game as if he was the one in Belichick’s headset did not come across well, however.
The first-year head coach came to that conclusion himself and expressed regret in his sentiment.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Mayo said when he appeared on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” on Monday morning. “You’re right. I probably shouldn’t have — when I said it, I was frustrated first of all. I should have taken a deep breath. I should not have said that. I should not have said it.”
Mayo’s admission was respectable in this case. Unfortunately for Mayo, though, the consistent backtracking on public comments and inconsistencies with his messaging indicates it probably won’t be the last time he finds himself in this position.
