FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots pulled the plug on Sunday.
New England owner Robert Kraft made the semi-surprising announcement that he would be moving on from head coach Jerod Mayo just hours following a season-ending victory against the Buffalo Bills. Mayo’s team just didn’t know the change was coming and went through their typical post-game locker room availability under standard operating procedure.
It’s not like they were blindsided, but they certainly seemed to be advocating for his return.
“I’d be hurt,” Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas said, responding to a question about Mayo’s potential dismissal. “I ain’t gonna lie. I’d be hurt because he’s a good coach and it’s his first year with a lot of young players — a lot of captains were out hurt… It’s going to be slow at first, but once we get together and lock in, it’ll be different.”
Kraft released his statement just 40 minutes later.
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Douglas wasn’t the only person to go to bat for Mayo. Patriots veterans Jacoby Brissett, Mike Onwenu and Keion White all spoke about looking forward to continuing to grow with their now-former head coach.
“It’s hard for you all to see because you’re not here every day,” Brissett said, referring to work being done in the building. “(Mayo) continued to grow all year, from what I saw, and getting into the offseason where the dust can settle — he can reevaluate each game, take time away, it’s just like what we do with players.”
“I’d kind of be disappointed, but I’m not in charge of that,” Onwenu said. “Our job is to play the games and win the games, and obviously we didn’t win a lot of games since he’s been on. He’s a great coach, and the coaching staff we had this year was great, so I hope we can keep working with him.”
White, who previously had been outspoken about wanting change, focused on the positives of Mayo’s tenure but didn’t want to get into the details of their relationship.
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“It’s ups and downs. He’s learning and we’re all learning. I think he really has a connection with the players — each and every one of us,” White said. “… We talk about everything. We have a good relationship, but I’ll keep it internal.”
The Patriots didn’t exactly put their players in a good spot, but what else is new?
Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
