FOXBOROUGH — Jerod Mayo was all smiles at his introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
He said the opportunity to become the first Black head coach in Patriots history was a dream come true. He laughed it off when team owner Robert Kraft mispronounced one of his relative’s names. He approached questions with a mix of humor, slang, and lengthy answers.
Mayo’s hiring had been planned out by the Patriots’ ownership long before Bill Belichick’s departure last week. New England reportedly had a succession plan written into Mayo’s previous contract, allowing them to avoid a lengthy coaching search.