Patriots player had an honest reaction to fan boos, but it brought him even more problems
The boos were loud at Gillette Stadium on Sunday during the New England Patriots embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And with that, 'fire Mayo' chants were heard at numerous different times. So, during a radio appearance, Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai was asked his thoughts about all that and he didn't hold back. “I […]
The boos were loud at Gillette Stadium on Sunday during the New England Patriots embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. And with that, 'fire Mayo' chants were heard at numerous different times.
So, during a radio appearance, Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai was asked his thoughts about all that and he didn't hold back.
“I was frustrated,” Tavai said on The Greg Hill Show. “I definitely think I told a fan to quiet down in a non-polite way.”
The Patriots veteran didn't stop there.
“I don’t know. There’s a reason why they’re fans,” Tavai added. “Everybody can say what they think that we should be doing. In the long end, they’re not qualified to do what (Jerod) Mayo is doing, or whatever the Pats are doing. The fans, I appreciate them at times, but sometimes they just have to know their place and just understand that it’s a work in progress.
It was that comment of fans having to 'know their place' that has sparked a lot of controversy. And soon after the interview, Jerod Mayo was asked about his reaction to this during his Friday morning press conference.
"I've handled that internally. We had a conversation about it, so I'm going to keep that in house," Mayo told reporters. "I will say this, look, for the fans – I've said this before. I'm a fan of different things, too. Look, no one's happy, no one's happy with our record, no one's happy where we are right now. The fans, look, they pay the bills, they come in here, they demand us to go out there and perform well, and we haven't done that this year. So, look, I understand."
While Tavai's comment has sparked the most conversation, there have also been comments made by Davon Godchaux and Deatrich Wise recently about the fans. So, has Mayo talked with the team about all this?
"I've talked to the guys about how – look, they're getting caught up in trying to defend me," Mayo admitted. "I've told them, look, I appreciate it, but at the same time, the fans are the most important thing here. They want to see good football, and they want to see wins."
As a former player, he knows better than everyone what it's like to experience backlash despite giving it his all each and every game due to a poor result.
"That's part of playing sports. Everyone's not going to be a fan of the Patriots. Everyone's not going to be a fan of Jerod Mayo, and I learned that very early in my competitive career, no matter what sport I played," he explained. "Look, you’ve got to just put your head down and keep working to get better."
However, the Patriots final game against the Buffalo Bills is somewhat of a lose-lose situation. They can go out there and get one last win, but lose the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, or they fall to the Bills, marking this as only a three win season, but secure that top selection. So with that, a lot of boos are expected at Gillette Stadium this weekend.
