ESPN commentator Stephen A Smith blasts the New England Patriots, calling them racist for firing black head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft told fans, according to Fox News, that he informed Mayo after the team’s final regular season game that he would not return as head coach for the year next.
However, during a discussion on the First Take news, Smith noted that he saw racism as being at the heart of the firing.
“It’s Mike Vrabel. That’s what they wanted. There’s no doubt about it,” exclaimed Smith. “He is the most senior and experienced coach. I don’t like it. They call it Black Monday for good reason. This certainly characterizes him. I don’t know why it’s not called White Monday. Doug Pederson was fired from Jacksonville. He deserved this dismissal.
Smith went on to say, “Jerod Mayo clearly didn’t get a long enough opportunity given what Bill Belichick left him from a talent standpoint, given the record, given the way the team played.”
He also insisted that the team’s front office “turned” on Mayo as the season progressed.
“He didn’t help himself with some of the comments he made calling the team soft… But no matter what we can point out, at the end of the day the people of New England were turning on Jerod Mayo. We all know that,” Smith explained.
“And I think that has something to do with Vrabel being available, and that’s what’s really happening here. They don’t want to lose him to a team like the New York Jets. They want to be in contention, and they can’t do it with him as head coach,” Smith said.
Yet Mayo’s year at the top was not a good one. The Patriots have won just four regular season games this year and lost 13.
Kraft said that firing Mayo was “For me, personally, it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made,” and added, “I’ve known Jerod for 17 years. He has earned my respect and admiration.
However, Kraft also said it was his responsibility to make changes.
“Since I bought the team, I have always considered myself and my family as guardians of a public good. We have huge fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years,” Kraft said. “I apologize for that. I have given a lot of thought and thought to what steps I can take to expedite our return to the championship and have determined that this decision is the best option at this time.
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