Patriots’ Jerod Mayo Drops Bill Belichick Joke At Press Conference

Jerod Mayo officially received his promotion Wednesday, as he was introduced as the 15th head coach in New England Patriots history during a press conference at Gillette Stadium.

It was a fairly significant deal, so it would have been understandable for him to be nervous. The first-time head coach handled everything well, though, sending clear messages when discussing the change expected to be made at One Patriot Place.

In discussing his return to the Patriots in 2019, however, he might have missed the mark with a joke.

“I love being here,” Mayo said, per team-provided video. “I took a break and went to Optum. I needed a break from Bill (Belichick) so I went to Optum for four years.”

It didn’t garner much of a reaction, forcing the 37-year-old to continue his response when it seemed like he intended for that to be the end.

Mayo’s remaining answers garnered bigger reactions, perhaps due to the audience realizing he was in a lighter mood as things wore on. It certainly wasn’t the response he hoped on getting with his Belichick rib, however.