His tenure as head coach of the New England Patriots is in its infancy, but we can already see the differences between Jerod Mayo and Bill Belichick as CEO.
Through the first three days of training camp, we saw two different impromptu press conferences from veteran defensive linemen who want new contracts . We also heard rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk tell us about a brand new players’ lounge - something that’s been missing from the team’s facility for years despite how common areas like these have become league-wide.
Mayo was asked about both the brand new lounge and his players’ newfound empowerment to air grievances during his media availability before practice on Friday.
On the new players’ lounge at Gillette Stadium:
“Look, this is their place and that is their lounge and that is their locker room. I think it’s important that you have those spaces. One thing I’ve noticed over the past, let’s say five years, is a lot of times when guys get a break they just go to their locker, and they get on their phone. They’re scrolling through social media and there’s really no interaction. We thought it was important that those guys had a safe space to go.
“That’s also a time where they build camaraderie. You should see some of the ping-pong games in there, or even the PlayStation - we have a PlayStation, Xbox in there as well. It’s really to bring these guys closer together and have those guys want to be here. These days can be long, but we just thought it would be important for those guys to have that space.”
On players being empowered to speak out publicly when they have gripes:
“Look, I’m good with it. I don’t want to put a cap on it. If the guy feels a certain type of way, he has that privilege to come out here and tell you guys how he feels. I have to respect it no matter what. At some point in time, there’s going to be a player that comes up here and says, ‘You know what, I hate Coach Jerod! I hate Mayo!’ And look, that’s how they feel, and I respect that. I know we wanted to keep as much stuff in-house, but there will be times where they come out here and express themselves and I think it’s good.”
“They listen to the interview here and I listen to their interviews as well. I’m not talking to you guys, I’m talking to the players, really. That’s how I think about it. As the season continues to progress, I want the relationship with the media from the coach’s perspective and also from the player’s perspective, to be a good relationship. I’m not saying to write all the positive articles. You write your opinion, that’s what you’re paid for.”
Patriots players had a scheduled off-day on Saturday. They resume training camp on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Foxborough.
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