‘Fans pay the bills’: Jerod Mayo responds to Patriots LB who said fans need to know their place
"I've talked to the guys about how – look, they're getting caught up in trying to defend me."
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said he talked with Jahlani Tavai about comments the Patriots linebacker made over fans needing to “know their place.”
“I’ve handled that internally,” Mayo said. “We had a conversation about it, so I’m going to keep that in-house. I will say this, look, for the fans – I’ve said this before. I’m a fan of different things, too.”
“Look, no one’s happy, no one’s happy with our record, no one’s happy where we are right now,” he added. “The fans, look, they pay the bills, they come in here, they demand us to go out there and perform well, and we haven’t done that this year. So, look, I understand.”
During a recent appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Tavai was asked if he was bothered by Patriots fans booing during Saturday’s 40-7 loss to the Chargers.
He admitted that he was frustrated and told a fan to be quiet in a “non-polite way.” He did not appreciate fans chanting for the Patriots to fire Mayo.
On Friday, Tavai clarified his comments, saying that he understands why fans are frustrated. He explained that he was sticking up for his coach and his teammates and that he wasn’t trying to tell people to change the way they act during games.
At 3-12, the Patriots are in a four-way tie for the worst record in the NFL. They have the lowest scoring offense in the league, and the defense has taken a significant step back without Bill Belichick. The team, which was already struggling last year, has continued to regress under Mayo. They’ve lost six games in a row including the blowout against Los Angeles.
Tavai is one of several Patriots players who have come to Mayo’s defense after the chants. Defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. said the team didn’t appreciate the “Fire Mayo” chants and that Patriot fans are a little spoiled. Defensive tackle Davon Godchaux called the chants “ridiculous.”
“I’ve talked to the guys about how – look, they’re getting caught up in trying to defend me,” Mayo said. “I’ve told them, look, I appreciate it, but at the same time, the fans are the most important thing here. They want to see good football, and they want to see wins.”
Mayo, a former first-round pick who played eight seasons with the Patriots before he became a coach, said dealing with public criticism is part of the game.
“That’s part of playing sports,” Mayo said. “Everyone’s not going to be a fan of the Patriots. Everyone’s not going to be a fan of Jerod Mayo, and I learned that very early in my competitive career, no matter what sport I played. Look, you’ve got to just put your head down and keep working to get better.”
Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, was fired after the team finished 4-13 last season. A win on Sunday would tie that record. A loss would secure the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and officially make this team’s record worse than last year.
Belichick had endured three consecutive losing seasons before he was fired. Mayo is in his first season, and it is relatively uncommon for NFL coaches to lose a job after just one season.
During this first week of the new year, Mayo was asked to reflect on how the team’s culture has evolved since training camp. Mayo said he is focused on the task at hand.
“Yeah, to me, it’s about the Buffalo Bills this week,” Mayo said. “I will say sometimes, and I’ve always said this, sometimes we look at culture as it’s almost a retrospective way of validating success or failure.”
“In saying that, let me break it down a little bit. Just because you have a good record doesn’t mean you have a good culture, and just because you have a bad record doesn’t mean you have a bad culture. So, these things take time.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com