New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo is pushing back on a previous report claiming he was difficult to work with.
The Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard published the report in December, indicating that Mayo had rubbed some people the wrong way since signing his extension.
Mayo has been the team’s linebackers coach since 2019. He initially signed an extension to remain with the Patriots in January 2023, after turning down a head coach interview with the Carolina Panthers.
Mayo spoke to the media on Tuesday and vehemently denied any rumors that he was difficult to work with, as transcribed by the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.
“I appreciate you asking that,” said Mayo. “You know honestly, I try to stay out of reading a lot of the articles and things during the year. Obviously there are ups and downs seasonally that kind of play a part in life and also in football. And honestly when that report came out, you know, my brother sent it to me. It was more hurtful than anything. I found it to be, well – the timing is a bit weird, in my opinion. And if that was the case, I feel like this would have been leaked sometime earlier.
At the same time, I try to treat everyone the same way. And I will say this – I thought about it for a while – when people talk about rubbing people the wrong way, like obviously sometimes – I mean that’s part of the job of being a leader; to rub people the wrong way. And I always try to be, you know, constructive and respectful in my feedback. And some people appreciate that transparency and some don’t. But at the end of the day, if we can’t rub people the wrong way how do you expect to be the best that you can be?”
Here is Jerod Mayo's full response to the @BostonSportsBSJ report he's "rubbed people the wrong way" inside the #Patriots building this year.
One of the more open answers I can remember from a Patriots coach: https://t.co/6mDVlh15aA pic.twitter.com/OhHqc6ln8g
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 2, 2024
This was certainly quite the statement from Mayo, as the team looks to finish up the regular season against the New York Jets on Sunday.
In a season full of ups and downs, this is just one of the latest rumors to come out of Gillette Stadium. One has to wonder how much truth there is to these rumors. Regardless, this is just another subplot in what has been a difficult year overall for the Patriots’ organization.
