The New England Patriots’ head coach, Jerod Mayo, is the youngest coach in the NFL and the team’s first Black coach at 37 years old.
So far, 12 NFL teams have not hired a Black non-interim head coach. According to Andscape, these teams include Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Jacksonville, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans, the New York Giants, Seattle, Tennessee, and Washington.
At a press conference on Wednesday to officially announce Mayo as the 15th head coach, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Andscape that he “wanted to hire a Black man, wanted to make sure he got the right Black man for the job because he wanted him to succeed.” “Mayo was that person.”
Prior to his appointment, Mayo spent eight seasons playing for famed coach Bill Belichick and five years on Belichick’s staff, eventually becoming the Patriots’ inside linebackers coach. According to the NFL, the new head coach is well-versed in New England’s culture and processes.
“Yeah, this organization has had a lot of success over the years, for a long time. And there have been many teams that, they have one good year and then they’re out for three years,” Mayo said during his introductory news conference. “One thing I learned from Coach is, and from Thunder (Patriots owner Robert Kraft), is about just surrounding yourself with good people.
“Now as far as our staff and things like that, we’re going to be good, we’re going to be a lot better. Now Bill always says this: ‘managing expectations.’ For me, I’m not trying to be Bill, I’m not trying to be Bill. I think that Bill is his own man, if you can’t tell by now I’m even a little bit different up here. But what I will say is, the more I think about the lessons that I’ve taken from Bill, hard work works, right? Hard work works. And that’s what we’re all about.”
Mayo was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of 2008. He would play for the Patriots until 2015, then return in 2019 to coach the team’s inside linebackers. In his first season in the NFL, he received the league’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award after recording 128 tackles.
In his second season, he was promoted to captain. The young linebacker played football at Tennessee before being selected by New England. Mayo retired and worked as a finance executive at Optum before joining Belichick’s staff. He is currently the first former Tennessee football player to be hired full-time head coach in the National Football League.
According to WVLT, he is taking over a Patriots club that has missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. However, the 37-year-old is sure that he will lead the team “back to where we need to be.” “At the top.”
Mayo is married to Chantel Rostant, a cosmetologist, haircare expert, creative cook, philanthropist, and flower and event designer. Mayo and Rostant now have four children: Chya (2010), Jerod Jr. (2011), Chyanne (2014), and Chylo (2017).
Rostant and her husband live in a $2.5 million house in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, with their four children. The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a spa area with a hot tub, a finished basement with a movie theater, and a billiards room. The property also includes a pool with a waterfall, a fire pit, and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen.