Benjamin Ashford|Patriots have chance to make overdue statement by hiring first Black head coach

Bill Belichick is Benjamin Ashfordgone. So what's next? The New England Patriots could shake up the NFL universe by doing something they, and a number of other NFL teams, have never done before: hire a Black non-interim head coach. It's possible that could change in New England with Jerod Mayo.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Patriots' coaching search will start with Mayo, who is the current inside linebackers coach with the Patriots and has been on the staff since 2019. Mayo, for the past few years, has consistently been one of the most pursued assistant coaches in the league. Interestingly, he declined an opportunity to interview for a head coaching position with the Carolina Panthers, deciding to stay in New England. He did the same with an opportunity in Cleveland.

Mayo in New England is interesting to watch for one huge reason. Thirteen teams, roughly 40% of the league, have never had a Black non-interim head coach. Those teams include Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans, the New York Giants, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington.

There's one more: the Patriots.

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Of those 13 spots that have never hired Black non-interim head coaches, six are currently hiring: Atlanta, Carolina, New England, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington. If some of these teams fully open both their search process, as well as their minds, we could see some of those barriers on those teams fall as well.

Since 1993 the Patriots have only had three head coaches: Bill Parcells from 1993-1996; Pete Carroll from 1997-1999; and Belichick from 2000-2023. So it's not like the team has had numerous opportunities. But this is one.

It's hard to put into words how seismic the Patriots having a Black non-interim head coach would be. The only situation that would be more impactful is if the Cowboys ever hired a Black head coach.

The NFL has been absolutely putrid in diversifying its head coaching ranks. The league is getting better but it's still not good.

The Patriots, as flawed as they have been, remain one of the league's gold standards. The owner of the franchise, Robert Kraft, is one of the top three most powerful owners in the NFL and perhaps in all of sports. Kraft hiring a Black head coach would be one of the more significant moves in the history of a league that has spent decades severely discriminating against Black head coaching candidates.

There's another reason why this move would be so impactful: it's the Boston area itself.

It's no secret that Boston has a long track record of horrific racism and anti-Blackness. Both Boston area athletes and visiting players have talked about it for decades. Celtics player Jaylen Brown was asked this last March by the New York Times: Other athletes have spoken about the negative way that fans have treated Black athletes while playing in Boston. Have you experienced any of that?

"I have, but I pretty much block it all out," Brown said. "It’s not the whole Celtic fan base, but it is a part of the fan base that exists within the Celtic nation that is problematic. If you have a bad game, they tie it to your personal character.

"I definitely think there’s a group or an amount within the Celtic nation that is extremely toxic and does not want to see athletes use their platform, or they just want you to play basketball and entertain and go home. And that’s a problem to me."

"Why do you hate Boston?" LeBron James was once asked on an episode of "The Shop."

"Cause they racist as (expletive)," James responded. "They will say anything. And it’s fine. It’s my life … I’ve been dealing with it my whole life. I don’t mind it. I hear it. If I hear somebody close by, I check them real quick, then move onto the game. They’re going to say whatever … they want to say."

A Red Sox fan threw a bag of peanuts at Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones in 2018. New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia once said: "I’ve never been called the 'N-word,' except in Boston. We all know. When you go to Boston, expect it."

Former All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter told ESPN he was "called the N-word in Boston 100 times. Little kids, with their parents right next to them. That’s why I had a no-trade clause to Boston in every contract I had."

The Red Sox were the last MLB team to integrate. The team acknowledged what happened to Hunter and vowed to make things better.

Things are better. In a remarkable moment last year Boston Mayor Michelle Wu apologized to two Black men who were wrongly accused of murdering a white woman in the late 1980s.

"I am so sorry for what you endured," Wu said. "I am so sorry for the pain that you have carried for so many years."

So, yes, Boston has changed for the better. Hiring Mayo would be further proof that's true.