Bill Belichick knows that his former student and New England Patriots successor Jerod Mayo was fired after just one season.
But what’s happening with the team he won six Super Bowls with is the least of his worries right now.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick, who was in a suit and tie on a recruiting trip for his new job as head football coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, said the Patriots have never They gave him a ring because they decided to fire Mayo after going 4-13 this year.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
New North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick speaks to the crowd at the Dean Smith Center during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game between La Salle and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Saturday December 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
“Honestly, I don’t have much to comment on the Patriots situation,” Belichick told McAfee and his team. “Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Robyn Glaser, they’re the decision makers there.
“Mayo was hand-picked by Robert, but in the end, the decision-making is something they would have to comment on.
“I don’t really know from the outside looking in. They didn’t call me or ask me, so I don’t know.”
PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT BLAMES HIMSELF AFTER FIRING JEROD MAYO: ‘THE WHOLE SITUATION IS ON ME’
Of course, McAfee had to ask Belichick after his one-time replacement in Foxborough, but a new journey for the legendary coach is underway as he continues to try to build his first roster in Chapel Hill.
As Belichick mentioned, Kraft hand-picked Mayo, who was already on Belichick’s staff, as the Patriots’ next head coach this past offseason. It came after the team and Belichick mutually parted ways following a 4-13 season, ending a 24-year relationship that produced arguably the greatest football head coach of all time.
Robert Kraft speaks during the Historical Roots of Black and Jewish Solidarity on 92NY on March 7, 2024 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Mayo played for the Patriots from 2008 to 2015, winning a Super Bowl with the franchise during the 2014 campaign. Belichick finally added him to his coaching staff in 2019 as linebackers coach before Kraft made his decision last year.
But Kraft took the blame Monday when he addressed reporters about Mayo, saying “the whole situation is on me” regarding his decision to let Mayo go after just one season.
“I feel really bad for Jerod, because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft added. “I know he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before accepting the job.
“In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach that can get us back to the playoffs and, hopefully, the championship.”
New North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Images by Jim Dedmon-Imagn)
As the Patriots embark on another head coaching search, in which another former Belichick player, Mike Vrabel, is expected to be Mayo’s primary replacement, the 72-year-old coach’s inaugural season with the Tar Heels has a big focus of attention. , as this will be Belichick’s first college concert in his illustrious career.
