Jerod Mayo, who made history as the first Black head coach of the New England Patriots, responded to a question by reporters about race.
On Wednesday, Mayo sat beside the team’s owner Robert Kraft and spoke to reporters about his new position during a press conference, in a viral clip posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. During the press conference, he admitted he does “see color.”
“I believe if you don’t see color, you can’t see racism. And, whatever happens — black, white … even someone with disabilities — for the most part, people are like, ‘Don’t.’ When they’re young, they kinda make the spot hot.”
He continued, “But, what I would say is, no, I want you to be able to go up to those people, really understand those people. So, that goes back to whatever it is — black, white, yellow — it really doesn’t matter, but it does matter so we can try to fix a problem that we all know we have.”
However, users on X had mixed emotions about Mayo’s response.
“So basically the opposite of what MLK said… No thanks, hard pass racists,” one user wrote.
Another user stated, “This is why you’ll continue to fail. Enjoy losing, losers!”
“I’m so tired of this pseudo-profound reaction to colourblindness. Meyo (sic) sounds like a good guy, but this nonsense needs to stop. When a person says they’re colourblind, they’re not saying they don’t acknowledge a person’s skin colour. They’re obviously saying they don’t treat people based on their skin colour,” one user explained.
Despite the backlash, some users came to Mayo’s defense.
Another user claimed that “literally everyone sees color.”
“And whoever claims they don’t see it is lying to themselves,” the user added.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III praised Mayo for his willingness to address the controversial topic.
“Jerod Mayo is the 1st Black Head Coach of the [Patriots] and he doesn’t shy away from it or any issues about race in our country,” he wrote, adding “He isn’t scared to say it with his chest. He is STANDING ON BUSINESS.”
During the press conference, Kraft revealed why he chose Mayo as the team’s head coach. According to USA Today, Mayo was a linebacker for the Patriots for eight seasons.
Kraft shared:
“I think we’ve got someone very special who understands how to manage young people today. I mean, the world is different than 20 years ago — even 10 years ago. And in all our businesses, we try to create a culture that people want to stay with and be there long-term. And I think that Jerod has the makeup and the chemistry — and it’s genuine, what he has is genuine. Just think about how he got elected captain in his second year with us when we had tremendous veterans. And I think it went for seven years, he was captain in a tremendous period. And then he went out on his own in business to get a change.”
He added, “It’s just, I think we’re ready to kick butt.”
According to NBC Sports, Mayo follows former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
