WHY JEROD MAYO IS SO SIGNIFICANT — AND NOT BECAUSE KRAFT IS “THUNDER"
The Patriots have the NFL’s fourth Black head coach, and the differences between Mayo and Bill Belichick are more demonstrative than their ages — the new man is 37 — and how he refers to the owner
In his black jacket, black t-shirt, black pants and black shoes, the new coach of the New England Patriots didn’t refer to his boss with a title. “Thunder,” said Jerod Mayo, giving us a new name for Robert Kraft, the football owner and philanthropist and 82-year-old rock star in his Nike Air Force 1 Ultra Force sneakers.
And when pondering Wednesday that he’s the fourth Black currently running an NFL team — and doing so in Boston, where comedian Chris Rock once said, “I was walking down the street in South Boston the other day, or was it Johannesburg?” — Mayo opted for “Thunder” when talking about racial relations. Who ever thought a Black man would lead the Patriots, coached by Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, the crustiest of traditional white leaders? Who ever thought a town scorned by Black athletic greats would be greeted by Mayo, with a smile and evolutionary views?
“Let me say this. I am really color-blind,” Kraft said. “I can tell you, after my family, my passion is with the Patriots. Winning with the Patriots is my passion. I want the best people I can hire. I chose the best head coach for this organization. He happens to be a man of color. But I chose him because he’s the best man to do the job.”
Sitting beside him at a press conference, Mayo said, “I appreciate Thunder and the organization selecting me to be a Black head coach. I do see color. If you don’t, you don’t see racism. Whatever it is — black, white, yellow — it doesn’t matter. But it does to fix a problem we all know we have.”
The hiring of Mayo at 37, without bothering Mike Vrabel or Jim Harbaugh, should not be understated in the league’s endless diversity crisis. Kraft realized he was the choice to replace Belichick long before a parting of ways last week. He knew when Mayo joined him for an excursion to Israel. “I knew observing him that he would be the right person to be the head coach,” said Kraft, installing contractual clauses that Mayo would replace Belichick when that day came. It was the worst-kept secret in the league, of which Hoodie was aware, and as the Patriots sunk to 4-13 this season, Thunder huddled with Mayo and named him.
“I think we’re ready to kick butt,” Kraft said. “I think we’ve got someone very special. He knows how to manage young people. The world is different than it was 20 years ago and 10 years ago. In business, we want to create a culture where people aim to be for the long term. Jerod has the makeup and the chemistry.”
He also learned from Belichick as a young player, having the guts to stop in his office when teammates were tired. “They’re beat up from practice. Maybe we can take it easy today?” Mayo said. Astonishingly, he was not sent home and returned to the locker room with good news. His age is apparent only on a birth certificate, and be forewarned when thinking he’s the league’s youngest head coach. Listen to him. Obey his words. He’s markedly mature and family-oriented, wired with culture. When Kraft had trouble reciting the names of Mayo’s children and family members, as the session was beginning, the rookie coach took a shot.
“It’s one of those Black names,” he said.
“He goes right by the book,” said Kraft, or Thunder.
So did Belichick. The one difference? No one is sure who also will be involved in making important decisions, as Kraft didn’t provide detail about a possible general manager. Hoodie ran the entire ship. Today? Mayo wants camaraderie.
“We’re going to be good. We’re gonna be a lot better,” he said. “I’m not trying to be Bill. Bill is his own man. If you can’t tell, we’re a little different. The more I think about the lessons I’ve taken from him, hard work works. That’s what we’re about.”
Ever think Belichick would talk about cultivating a garden? “When people talk about leadership, they think about a chessboard. I think of it more as gardening,” Mayo said. “Gardeners don’t grow nothing. They make sure the soil is right and the weeds are pulled. I just want to water seeds and plant them. Hopefully, that will lead to the next dynasty with the Kraft family.”
Everyone involved in the Patriot Way, from Kraft and his son to Tom Brady and all the champions of six seasons, all appear to love Mayo. “They definitely know they have something here and don’t want to let him go,” Rob Ninkovich said. I buy into Kraft when he says he hired the right man. Roger Goodell will claim to be elated, knowing he has Mayo, Mike Tomlin remaining in Pittsburgh, Todd Bowles in the divisional playoff with Tampa Bay and rookie DeMeco Ryans in the divisional playoff with Houston, with Antonio Pierce on deck in Las Vegas. In Miami, Mike McDaniel is biracial with a white mother and Black father. With the New York Jets, Robert Saleh is of Lebanese descent as the league’s first Muslim head coach.
There is progress, with more teams waiting to name coaches. At the moment, so much attention is on whether Belichick will sign with Atlanta or wait for Jerry Jones, who is beyond desperate in Dallas. And if Harbaugh will sign with the Los Angeles Chargers or is real about staying at Michigan, where he wants contractual protection that he won’t be fired if the NCAA wants to punish him further. When they do land, they’ll be topics of intense focus for months and years.
For now, I want to know about Mayo and Thunder.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.