Celtics HC Weighs in on Patriots Firing Jerod Mayo

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke out about the New England Patriots firing Jerod Mayo.

Dec 7, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at TD Garden. / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots and Boston Celtics usually don't comment on each other's moves, but the decision to fire head coach Jerod Mayo brought a reaction from Joe Mazzulla.

Being a head coach of a professional sports team is a difficult job. It also comes with an immense amount of uncertainty about the future.

Many head coaches have families that follow them all over the country from job to job. The fact that a job can be taken away in the snap of a finger is a stressful situation to be in.

With that being said, Mazzulla spoke out after the Patriots decided to fire Mayo. He took it as an opportunity to remind fans just how quickly things can change for a head coach.

“I think the first part is you don’t realize the impact it has on the assistants, on their families and the kids,” Mazzulla said. “To me, it’s bigger than just the head coach. You have assistants that believe in the head coach. You have assistants that move their families there. There’s people that are impacted by it. Second piece is, like you said, we’re hired to get fired. You enjoy it for as long as you can. After that, that’s it. It’s over.”

Mazzulla did not get involved in whether or not the move was a fair one or not. He simply wanted to reiterate how difficult things can be for the head coach and his family in these situations.

Since the firing was reported, there have been two sides. One believes that Mayo needed to go and that New England made the right decision, while others have ripped into the Patriots for firing him after just one season with a roster that obviously was not ready to compete.

Regardless of what side a person is on, the fact of the matter is that Mayo is out of a job and New England is searching for a new head coach.

At this point in time, it sure sounds like Mike Vrabel will end up landing the job. That could change, but he has become the clear-cut front-runner. Truthfully, he was the front-runner before Mayo was even fired.

Hopefully, Mayo can land on his feet somewhere else and put together a successful coaching career. It's unfortunate how things went in his one season with the Patriots, but the two sides have moved on and that is the end of their story.

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