Black Monday in the NFL is a treacherous day around the league, and the New England Patriots made a shocking move when they fired Jerod Mayo after one season.
The Patriots’ roster was among the least talented in the league heading into the season, and everyone knew they were going to have a rough year.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith took note of the franchise firing Mayo/
Reacting to Mayo’s dismissal Monday morning on First Take, Smith argued that Mayo did not get enough time to turn the Patriots around as the franchise was dealing with its first season without Bill Belichick in over 20 years.
The prominent ESPN personality basically began to accuse the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft of making a racist firing for parting ways with the black head coach on “Black Monday.”
Smith also added that Black head coaches are not given the same type of grace as white coaches.
Stephen A. Smith on the Patriots firing Jerod Mayo: "This is about Mike Vrabel. That's who they wanted… I don't like this. They call it Black Monday for a reason. This certainly typifies it. I don't know why it's not called White Monday. Doug Pederson got fired from… pic.twitter.com/PsZFD7CrWR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 6, 2025
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“I don’t like this,” Smith said. “They call it Black Monday for a reason. This certainly typifies it. I don’t know why it’s not called White Monday. Doug Pederson got fired from Jacksonville. He deserved that firing. Jerod Mayo clearly was not given a lengthy enough opportunity considering what Bill Belichick left him with from a talent perspective.”
What Are The New England Patriots Doing?
The New England Patriots gave Jerod Mayo one year to turn a bad franchise around.
Mayo was dismissed on Sunday after the Patriots finished out the 2024 season with a 4-13 record.
The news also came mere hours after the Patriots lost the rights to the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft by defeating the Buffalo Bills in Week 18. They dropped to pick number 4.
Expecting a coach to turn things around in one year was simply not fair, but it appears that the franchise has a man they always wanted for the job and are going for it.
According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff and RJ Kraft, the New England Patriots could hire Mike Vrabel as their next head coach.
