Bill Belichick Crushes Jerod Mayo Over Public Criticism of Patriots Players

The former Patriots coach did not agree with the approach Mayo took in calling New England's players "soft".

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick slammed Jerod Mayo's public criticism of the players in the wake of the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick slammed his former assistant, and current head coach Jerod Mayo, for his public criticism of the players in the wake of the team's 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday.

Mayo called New England's players soft after the team's sixth straight loss. Belichick, who obviously coached the same players last year, did not agree with Mayo's assessment. He discussed further with Tom Brady and Jim Gray on SiriusXM's Let's Go podcast.

"You know, look, when you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn't always go over well," Belichick said. "Now, every coach has their own style and maybe sometimes that can be effective and all, but ultimately I always felt like when the team played bad that was my responsibility, too. We might have had bad playing but we had bad coaching that led to bad playing so I think it's always best to take a look at yourself and do what you can do to help the team. And then, you know, if you have constructive criticism as a coach, that's your job. But I don't know, last year the Patriots led the league in rushing defense, yards per carry, number one in the league. This year they're 26 or whatever it is. It's the same players. I don't think those players on defense are soft but they haven't stopped the run very well this year."

Bill Belichick taking another shot at Jerod Mayo. Wow.

Per: @TomBrady, @JimGrayOfficial

“Hey coach have you ever had a soft team?”

BB: “I think when you criticize your team publicly like that, it doesn’t always go over well…ultimately I always felt that when the team… pic.twitter.com/LvUgIrWD7l

— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 22, 2024

It's safe to say Belichick felt the need to defend some of his former players. The underlying animosity from Belichick's side seems to be that the players are a reflection of their coaching, which hasn't been up to par this season after Robert Kraft and the organization decided to move on from Belichick.

The Patriots are 1-6 on the season and host the New York Jets on Sunday.

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