Jerod Mayo’s first season as head coach of the New England Patriots has been anything but smooth, and now, he’s facing sharp criticism from within the Patriots family. After a disheartening six-game losing streak, former Patriots tight end and two-time Super Bowl champion Christian Fauria issued a stern warning to Mayo, following the coach’s controversial comment that his team is “soft.”
Fauria, now a media personality, didn’t hold back during a recent appearance on the Eye on Foxborough podcast. Reflecting on Mayo’s post-game comments after the Patriots’ 32-16 Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fauria remarked, “It’s such a disaster when you resort to that, whether he meant to say it or not.” Instead of calling his team out, Fauria suggested Mayo should have taken the blame himself: “I wish he would have said, ‘I’m soft. I’m an idiot. I’m stupid. I need to be better.’”
Fauria’s comments come amid growing rumors that Mayo may be losing control of the locker room, especially after his decision to bench veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett for rookie Drake Maye. Tensions have also been brewing between Mayo and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, with Belichick warning that publicly calling out players could lead to a locker-room revolt.
With the Patriots sitting at a woeful 1-6, speculation has intensified that owner Robert Kraft may consider parting ways with Mayo if the team’s season spirals into what some are calling “a complete dumpster fire.” Mayo will face a must-win situation this Sunday against the 2-5 New York Jets, as his future in New England could hang in the balance.
As Fauria bluntly put it, “Stop telling the truth… you don’t owe the media anything,” signaling that Mayo’s handling of the press and his players could determine whether he survives this turbulent first year as head coach.
