Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots’ First Black Head Coach, Addresses Racism in Introductory Press Conference [Video]

The Bill Belichick era has come to an end with the Patriots, and Jerod Mayo has been appointed as their new head coach. At just 37, he’s now the youngest head coach in the NFL.

As the first black coach hired by the organization in a predominantly Caucasian state, Patriots owner Robert Kraft faced questions about the impact of this hire during the coach’s introductory press conference. William Rhoden of Andscapes asked Kraft about the significance of this hire, and this is what he had to say:

“I’m really color blind in terms of I know what I feel like on Sundays when I lose,” Kraft said. “Winning and the Patriots is my passion. So I want to get the best people I can get,” the 82-year-old owner said. “I chose the best head coach for this organization. He happens to be a man of color, but I chose him because I believe he’s the best to do the job.”

A strong statement and wise words from the Brookline, Mass. native, but Mayo, on the other hand, acknowledged the importance of seeing color to address racism.

“I do see color because I believe if you don’t see color you can’t see racism,” the newly appointed head coach told the media. He clarified that he wasn’t disagreeing with Kraft. He believed Kraft was referring to the team’s cohesion and camaraderie in the locker room. “You want your locker room to be pretty diverse and you want the world to look like that,” the Virginia native said. “Whatever happens black, white, disabled person.. I want you to be able to understand those people. So it goes back to whatever it is. Black, white, yellow it really doesn’t matter. But it does matter so we can try and fix the problem.”

Mayo has been a highly sought-after coaching candidate for the past few years. In January 2023, he restructured his deal with the New England team to stay with them. As a two-time Pro Bowler, he has made a smooth transition into coaching and has become one of the most sought-after coaches in the market. Mayo has chosen to remain with his home team, hoping to lead them back to the consistency that Patriots fans are accustomed to.