New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick. Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick reacts to Jerod Mayo calling Patriots 'soft'

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 21, 2024 2:01 PM ET

Following Sunday's 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo labeled his team "soft." Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick seems to think his comments crossed the line.

In his postgame news conference, Mayo noted that the team's run defense—which allowed 171 yards against Jacksonville — underperformed. However, Belichick took issue with Mayo calling out his players.

"I'm kind of hurt for those guys, to call them soft because they're not soft," the six-time Super Bowl champion said Monday on "The Pat McAfee Show." "They were the best team in the league last year against the run. Those guys went out and did it last year, even though we couldn't score many points offensively. So, I don't know. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because that's a tough group. Those guys are all tough players. They'll strap it up and go. They're tough players."

"The Patriots led the league in rushing defense last year and they still have a lot of those players..

I'm hurt for those guys because they're not soft..

I feel bad for the defensive players because they're all tough players" ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wVN9ufcNMg
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 21, 2024

During Belichick's final season in 2023, New England ranked first in the league in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.3). In Mayo's first season, that figure has increased to 4.6, tied for 17th in the league.

The issue doesn't appear to be a lack of defensive talent. The Patriots feature budding second-year stars in cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive end Keion White. Perhaps some blame falls on Mayo, and he should take more accountability.

During a Monday appearance on WEEI-FM in Boston, Mayo claimed he wasn't dissing his players, and his comments were misunderstood.

"Let me just go ahead and correct that," Mayo said, via Nick O'Malley of MassLive.com. "We're playing soft, OK? Because if you look at the first — going back to training camp, there was definitely some toughness around the place, and we still had the same players, and we just got to play that way."

Regardless, Mayo's comments may upset players, increasing his risk of losing the locker room after a 1-6 start.

Throughout his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, Belichick used the media to send messages to his players. Mayo, who played under Belichick for eight seasons, may have been trying to do the same.

Belichick would've probably been more tactful, which explains why the future Hall of Famer seems upset with his replacement.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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