One of the top assistants in the New England Patriots’ office is linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. But a recent report indicated that he’s not seen as a viable replacement for head coach Bill Belichick (if needed) because he “rubbed people the wrong way” in the building.
Mayo was obviously not a fan of those comments.
Speaking to MassLive, Mayo declared that “rubbing people the wrong way” is part of the job of being a leader. Nevertheless, he felt that the comments were hurtful.
“When people talk about rubbing people the wrong way, I mean, that’s part of the job of being a leader, is to rub people the wrong way,” Mayo said, via MassLive. “And I always try to be constructive and respectful with my feedback. Some people appreciate that transparency. Some don’t. But at the end of the day, if we can’t rub people the wrong way, how do you expect that you can be the best that you can be? And I would say, anytime there’s change, or anything like that, it’s going to be painful if someone rubs you the wrong way. At the end of the day, you have to look through all the words that really get to the substance and the meat and potatoes of what that person is trying to say.”
Jerod Mayo: Rubbing people the wrong way part of being a leader. https://t.co/d15a9d6Uuv
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 2, 2024
Mayo is one of the Patriots’ longest tenured assistants, having joined the staff in 2019 after being a star linebacker for them from 2008 to 2015.
He has a bright future in coaching, but may have to overcome some adversity first.