Less than 30 minutes after the opening press conference ended, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his new coach Jerod Mayo had their first disagreement.
In his opening remarks, Mayo said he doesn’t take being the Patriots’ first black coach for granted. During a question-and-answer session, I asked Kraft how important it was for Mayo to earn the distinction since he was the franchise’s first black coach and was promoted from inside linebackers coach.”I’ll tell you this, I’m color blind when it comes to how I feel when I lose on Sunday,” Kraft said.
The 82-year-old Patriots owner said winning is the most important thing to him after his family and team. “Winning and the Patriots are my passion. So I want to get the best people I can get,” he said. “We chose the best coach for this organization. “He happens to be a black person and I chose him because I thought he was the best person for the job,” he said.”I look at color because I think you can’t see racism if you don’t look at color,” Mayo said, seeking clarification rather than rebuttal. He went on to explain why it’s important to accept people for who they are and not be negatively influenced by what they see on their faces, such as skin color or disability. I spoke briefly with Kraft after the press conference.
To explain, he said he wanted to hire a black person. Because he wanted the job to be successful, he wanted to get the right black man for the job. That person was Mayo. At 37, Mayo becomes the youngest coach in the NFL.I went into Wednesday’s press conference with mixed emotions. I was happy for Mayo who paid their dues and were worthy contenders. We are excited to add another black head coach as the NFL leaves seven positions remaining to be filled. But while qualified black candidates were offered coaching positions, the process was problematic.
Did Mayo’s hiring circumvent the Rooney Rule? The rule, introduced in 2003, requires teams to directly interview minorities and at least one woman from outside the organization on their short list for head and coaching positions. The Patriots hired Mayo for the coaching vacancy without contacting other candidates, but did the organization have to interview other minority candidates because Mayo is African-American?In January 2023, the Patriots and Mayo, now a popular coaching candidate, reworked their contract, agreeing to contract provisions that would make Mayo the next coach of the Patriots, replacing Bill Belichick.
The Patriots are seeking a succession deal where Mayo Belichick can succeed, according to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an advocacy group that works with the NFL on issues related to minority hiring in coaching, scouting and front office positions. The Patriots did not have to conduct a full coaching search because the team notified the league and the alliance of the deal. Kraft was asked why he was sold to Mayo and his gut told him that Mayo would be the right choice.
He said he doesn’t want to make the same mistake with Mayo after Belichick let Bill Parcells go to the New York Jets after the 1996 season.”I should have had the guts to hire Bill [Belichick],” Kraft said. “After watching Jarod in various situations for 16 years, that’s how I felt. “We’re trying to do what’s right for our system, and I think we have a very special person who understands how to lead today’s youth.”Kraft said it’s important for organizations to have a clear succession plan. I understand all of that and in the short term and maybe even the long term, Mayo’s appointment is great. It was a great day for Mayo, the Mayo family and the Patriots organization.
The NFL can wait for a new coaching hiring cycle. But will the deal between the Patriots and Mayo open the door for NFL teams to formalize the behind-the-scenes practice of keeping NFL coaching ranks largely white? As of Thursday, 12 NFL teams (Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans, New York Giants, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington) had never hired a Black interim coach.
