Morning Sports Update

Joe Mazzulla weighed in on Jerod Mayo being fired by the Patriots

"You enjoy it for as long as you can. After that, it’s done. That’s it."

Joe Mazzulla Jerod Mayo
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the Patriots' decision to fire Jerod Mayo. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

By Hayden Bird

3 minutes to read

Joe Mazzulla’s thoughts on Jerod Mayo: Given the unique challenges of being a head coach in the New England area — with some of the most passionate fans in the country — it’s no surprise that Jerod Mayo and Joe Mazzulla struck up a friendship.

Obviously, the circumstances are now different, as Mayo is no longer a direct peer to his Celtics counterpart following the Patriots’ decision to fire the first-year head coach after the regular season finale on Sunday.

Mazzulla, for his part, routinely offers blunt quotes about the job security of coaches in professional sports (including his own). After the Bruins decided to fire Jim Montgomery in November, Mazzulla remarked that, “You hate to see a coach have to go through that but we all get hired to get fired.”

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Asked for his reaction to Mayo being let go by New England, Mazzulla elaborated a little more on the impact of a firing that many fans never see or consider.

“The first part is you don’t realize the impact that it has on the assistants and their families and their kids,” Mazzulla told reporters per MassLive’s Souichi Terada prior to the Celtics-Nuggets game on Tuesday. “To me, it’s bigger than just the head coach. You got assistants that believe in the head coach. You got assistants that move their families there, so there are people that are impacted by it.”

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In addition, the third-year Celtics coach reiterated his characteristically straightforward phrasing.

“Second piece is, like you said, we’re hired to get fired,” Mazzulla told a reporter. “You enjoy it for as long as you can. After that, it’s done. That’s it.”

Mazzulla has also survived varying reports that he might be fired, especially after the team lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals during his first year in charge. Having been given a second chance (unlike Mayo), he guided the Celtics to a championship in 2024.

Trivia: In 2024, Joe Mazzulla became the youngest coach since 1970 to win an NBA title. Who was the second youngest in that span?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: A Celtics rival, he was recently portrayed in an HBO series by Adrien Brody.

More from Boston.com:

The appeal of the Patriots’ head coaching vacancy: Former New England defensive lineman Chris Long weighed in on how desirable the Patriots’ head coaching role remains despite the issues over the last two seasons.

On this day: In 2015, Boston was selected by the United States Olympic Committee to be the nation’s representative bid for the 2024 Summer Games.

Boston 2024 ended up collapsing within six months, weighed down by constant scandals that undermined its already thin public credibility, and hounded by local media over the numerous cost overruns that were unavoidably baked into in the bid’s plan (and indeed in the concept of hosting a modern Olympics in virtually any location).

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The United States bid ended up being shifted to Los Angeles, which is set to host in 2028.

Daily highlight: Maine native Cooper Flagg showed off his tremendous talent during Duke’s dominant win over Pitt on Tuesday night.

Trivia answer: Pat Riley

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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