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Well, no surprise that Jerod Mayo will be taking over as the New England Patriots head coach, as a flood reports came in on Friday morning confirming the transition from 71-year-old Bill Belichick to the 37-year-old former star linebacker. It marks a milestone for the Patriots as a franchise, too: Mayo will be the first Black head coach in the team’s history.
From ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who broke the news: “It’s a new era in New England: the Patriots have hired Jerod Mayo as their next head coach and he will be formally introduced at a press conference next week, a source tells ESPN.”
From NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who first reported that Mayo had language in his contract that ensured he would take over for Belichick: “While so much of the focus was on Mike Vrabel, the internal focus for the #Patriots was always on Jerod Mayo. It was written into his contract that he would be the successor to Bill Belichick.”
As longtime NFL writer Judy Battista of NFL.com pointed out, the hiring of Mayo should be taken as a positive gain in the league’s often painfully slow efforts at increasing diversity in leadership roles: “In addition to now being the youngest HC in the NFL, Jerod Mayo, the heir apparent since last offseason, is also the first Black HC in Patriots history. A hopeful start for the league’s diversity efforts.”
Jerod Mayo Is the Youngest Patriots Coach
Indeed, in the history of the Patriots, there have been 14 head coaches, and Mayo is the youngest the team has ever had in the role, by a thin margin. Clive Rush was hired to be Patriots coach on January 30, 1969 after helping to lead the Jets past the Colts in Super Bowl III as the offensive coordinator. He was 15 days away from his 38th birthday at the time. Mayo is 42 days away from turning 38.
Mayo’s race is as significant as his age, though, when it comes to moving the Patriots forward in the short- and long-term. Mayo said earlier this month that he feels one of his strengths is his ability to communicate with players of all backgrounds.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss posted a recent quote from Mayo on Twitter/X this morning.
“Jerod Mayo earlier this month: “I feel like I’m ready. I feel like I can talk to men, women, old, young, White, Black – it doesn’t matter. And hopefully develop those people into upstanding citizens and help them evolve … I feel like my calling is to develop.”
12 NFL Teams Have Never Hired a Black Coach
With the Patriots’ hiring of Mayo, the number of NFL teams that have not had a Black head coach (not including interims) in their history now drops to 12, still an uncomfortably big number here in 2023. The list: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders.
The Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks, Titans and Commanders all have head-coaching openings this offseason.
Speaking on the dearth of Black head coaches in the NFL, Richard Lapchick of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida said in February, “It’s certainly discouraging. I have no doubt the league is trying to make a push to strengthen its policies … but the record is the record.”
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