Jerod Mayo Responds To Rumors Of Him Rubbing People ‘Wrong Way’

A recent report claimed Jerod Mayo has rubbed some people with the Patriots the “wrong way” since signing a contract extension last offseason. Subsequent rumors also have attacked Mayo’s character while indicating he might not be a lock to succeed Bill Belichick in New England.

Mayo has read the reports. And he responded to them Tuesday morning during a video call with reporters.

Here’s his full answer:

“I appreciate you asking that. Honestly, I try to stay out of reading a lot of the articles and things during the year. Obviously, there are ups and downs and seasonality that kind of play a part in life and also in football. Honestly, when that report came out, my brother sent it to me — it was more hurtful than anything. I found it to be, well, the timing was a little bit weird in my opinion. And, if that was the case, I feel like this would’ve 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’ — obviously, sometimes, that’s part of the job of being a leader, is to rub people the wrong way. And I always try to be 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 expect to be the best that you can be? And I would say anytime there’s change or anything like that, like, it’s gonna be painful. Someone’s gonna rub you the wrong way. At the end of the day, you have to look through all the words and really get to the substance, or get to the meat and potatoes of what that person is trying to say.

“So, it actually helped me — it kind of triggered a period of self-reflection. And I know it’s recent, I think it’s like a week old at this point. But it triggered an opportunity for self-reflection. And we all have blind spots, and maybe that’s one of my blind spots. But at the end of the day, hopefully, whoever put that story out is man or woman enough to bring to my attention to have a conversation.”

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Mayo still is considered a candidate to replace Belichick whenever the Patriots move on from the legendary head coach. Whether he’s still a front-runner is difficult to discern.

Regardless, whenever Mayo becomes an NFL head coach, he’ll have to deal with unflattering reports potentially leaked by people with ulterior motives. If Tuesday’s remarks are any indication, he’s ready for the challenge.