After just one season, the Patriots 4-13, coming off a similarly struggling year, and having been in serious decline since 2020, oust their rookie coach, in a league where turnarounds, if a franchise is lucky, takes good coaches multiple years to accomplish.

Glendale, AZ – December 15: New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo greets Patriots CEO Robert Kraft at State Farm Stadium. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Jade Lopez, CRDN
January 22, 2025

The New England Patriots recently made a big decision to let go of Jerod Mayo, one of their long-standing assistant coaches. Mayo had been the Patriot’s Inside Linebackers’ Coach, as an apprentice under Famed Head Coach Bill Belichick, from 2019 to 2023, before taking over as the Patriots’ Head Coach for the 2024 Season. However, after yet another dismal 4-13 Season for the Patriots, this time under Head Coach Mayo, the Patriots fired him after just one season at the helm. This has struck up conversations surrounding diversity and equality in the National Football League (NFL), and a huge debate among the franchises and fans debating if the league gives each coach a fighting and fair chance to get/secure their spot.

Jerod Mayo kick-started his career while attending the University of Tennessee, starring as the defense’s team co-captain and middle linebacker in 14 games during his junior season. He had 140 tackles by 2007, the most in the state’s defense since Earnest Fields in 1990.

Mayo used to be a star linebacker for the Patriots before becoming a coach in 2019. He was selected in the first round (10th overall and the second linebacker to be selected so far) during the 2008 draft. He signed on to a five-year contract and was the only rookie that drafting season to start in week one. He was even named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the month in October 2008.

He worked hard and became an important part of the team’s defense. However, by 2015, following many injuries, his playing time was significantly cut. In early 2016, he was placed on injury reserve with a shoulder issue. By that time the following year, he took to social media to announce his retirement with a heartfelt thank you to the Patriots for the past eight years.

In March 2019, Mayo was selected as the Patriots Inside Linebacker Coach and in January 2024, he was named first-year head coach. He became the team’s 15th head coach and their first Black head coach in history. He was the franchise’s second head coach from the 2008 draft year, after Kevin O’Connell became the Vikings head coach in 2022. He was also the youngest head coach in the NFL at the time of his hiring for the position.

Mayo began his Patriots Head Coach career taking what can only be characterized as an unusual approach at NFL press conferences, opening a press conference, with a bold statement during which he said, “I do see color, because I believe that if you don’t see color, you can’t see racism.” That comment may have made some people uncomfortable, and possibly led to Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft, downplaying the role of race in the league’s selection of head coaches. In a nation overly sensitive on issues of race, equality, and diversity, it is not difficult to imagine that for some, it is quite possible that Mayo’s head coaching career had gotten off to a bad start from its inception, with that statement.

During the 2024 season, the Patriots went 4-13, including two six-game losing streaks, and winning a game that knocked them out of contention for the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. In January of 2025, the team announced that Mayo would not be returning as head coach, making him the second coach in the team’s history to be fired after one season since 1990. His firing came just one day after the season ended.

This left people wondering if the Patriots’ decision shows a problem with how the NFL supports minority coaches, especially considering the Rooney Rule.

The Rooney Rule is a rule in the NFL that started in 2003. According to the Rule, teams have to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach or other major job opportunities. The Rule is designed to help coaches with diverse backgrounds get hired. However, many people say they do not see this reflected in the NFL franchises. Critics have openly expressed that teams often do these interviews just to check a box, without seriously considering the candidates. Therefore, to such people, Mayo’s firing is a perfect example of what they perceive to be a superficial rule. For others, it is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (“DEI”) gown awry. Therefore, after the team posted their decision on social media, comments came flooding in on how the rule is just to “save face” and that the team quickly let go of the only Black coach they have ever had.

Brian Flores, who famously coached for the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and other teams, sued the NFL in 2022 because of this. He said the league’s hiring process is unfair to minority candidates. He claimed that teams were holding fake interviews just to follow the Rooney Rule.

He also claimed in the suit that the New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos did not hire him because he is Black.

Flores’ class action suit that outlines his claims of racial discrimination, specifically against Black coaches, in the NFL. The judge acknowledged that it was ”difficult to understand” how in a sport made up of nearly 70% Black players across 32 teams, Flores was the only Black head coach at the time.

His attorney, Douglas Wigdor, stated “We are pleased that Coach Flores’ class claims of systematic discrimination against the NFL and several teams will proceed in court and ultimately before a jury of his peers.” He added: “We are disappointed that the court compelled arbitration of any claims before Mr. Goodell as he is obviously biased and unqualified to rule on these matters. We expect him to delegate those matters to a truly neutral arbitrator as a matter of fundamental fairness.”

Flores’s case is a big example of how hard it can be for minority coaches to get good jobs and keep them. Mayo’s firing has brought these issues back into the spotlight, making people wonder if things are really changing.

Losing his job could hurt Mayo’s chances to find another coaching position. This is something that happens to a lot of Black coaches in the NFL. They are often given jobs where it is hard to succeed, which makes it tougher for them to move up. Even though Mayo’s coaching career is not over, his firing raises questions about how minority coaches are treated.

Some people think the Patriots let Mayo go simply because of reasons pertaining to the season’s statistics or how they performed that year. However, because of the NFL’s history of unfair treatment, it is hard to look at this decision without thinking about the bigger picture. Every time a minority coach is fired, it adds to the conversation about whether the NFL is really trying to fix its problems. Without clear reasons for these decisions, people lose trust in the league’s efforts to support diversity.

To truly fix these issues, the NFL needs to do more than just follow the Rooney Rule. They need to make real changes, like creating mentoring programs and holding teams responsible for their hiring choices. Mayo’s situation shows why these changes are needed. His firing is a reminder that minority coaches deserve more support and fairness.

The NFL says it wants to be more inclusive, but cases like Mayo’s show there is still a lot of work to do. The mix of Mayo’s firing, the Rooney Rule not working well, and Brian Flores’s lawsuit is a chance for the league to reflect and make improvements. If the NFL really wants to keep its promises, it needs to break down the barriers that stop minority coaches from getting the opportunities they deserve.