Former Patriots player addresses controversial Jerod Mayo report

Former New England Patriots player and NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich offered a theory about the controversial report on Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo that Boston Sports Journal founder/editorial director Greg A. Bedard shared in December. 

"You have to understand that the coaching world is a shallow business where you have other coaches that are potentially mad that you are in a position that you’re in," Ninkovich said about the Mayo story during an appearance on the FanDuel TV "Up & Adams" program, per Hayden Bird of Boston.com. "It only takes one guy to go out there and talk to a reporter on the side and say, 'See, he’s kind of walking around differently around here,' just because they’re mad themselves and they’re haters." 

Mayo was widely viewed since at least this past summer as the eventual successor to head coach Bill Belichick, but that was before Bedard wrote that Mayo had "rubbed at least some people the wrong way in the building since his extension" that was signed last offseason. Ninkovich, who played alongside Mayo during their careers, said during the show segment that he believes "a jealous 'somebody'" reached out to Bedard. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, it remained unclear if Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft will either fire Belichick or look to trade the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach this winter. Similar to former Patriots safety and current NFL analyst Devin McCourty, Ninkovich endorsed Mayo to receive the New England gig if it becomes available. 

"I think for me as a teammate of Jerod and a friend of Jerod, I know the type of man that he is, the type of person and player he was on the field," Ninkovich added. "He was the smartest guy on the field." 

Mayo's chances of replacing Belichick may have taken a significant hit Tuesday when the Tennessee Titans confirmed they had parted ways with head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings with New England from 2001-08 and was mentioned as a candidate for the Patriots job earlier in the 2023 season.