Patriots send Mayo packing 

MIAMI (AFP) — The New England Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo on Sunday after his first National Football League (NFL) season in charge ended with a 4-13 record.

Mayo, a former Patriots player, took over last January from the franchise’s most successful coach, six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, having previously served as an assistant with the Patriots.

Although the Patriots won their last game of the season on Sunday, 23-16 against a Buffalo Bills team which rested several starters, that win only served to deny New England the No. 1 NFL Draft pick for 2025.

“After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025. For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Patriots chairman and chief executive officer Robert Kraft said in a statement.

Kraft said that he had admired Mayo’s character and leadership as a player and coach at the Patriots and had appointed him as head coach with high hopes.

“When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach,” Kraft said.

“Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”