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New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is taking a hardline approach to curbing in-practice fights during training camp.
Speaking to the media this week, Mayo — who is succeeding the legendary Bill Belichick as the New England Patriots head coach, certainly no small task — laid out his strategy for dealing with fights, saying that the punishment is playing the entirety of a preseason game if you’re a starter, or not playing at all if you’re a back-up.
“What I’ve seen over the years is that second day always get a lot more chippier. You go back and watch the film and say, ‘I didn’t see that.’ Then the next day something breaks out. We didn’t want that to happen. We’re out here as football players and not fighters. That is our message to the team,” Mayo told reporters this week.
“You don’t fight in a real game. If you fight in a real game you get fined, you kicked out. It’s the same thing happens here,” he continued. “If you fight and you’re a starter, you’re playing the whole preseason game. If you’re not a starter, you won’t play at all. That is my mindset with that.”
Jerod Mayo says if you FIGHT and you’re a starter then will play a whole preseason game, if your not then you won’t play at all#patriots #nfl #newenglandpatriots
⚡️ by @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/bzQITvNRSo— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) August 13, 2024
Mayo will lead the Patriots out in his first game as the team’s head coach when they travel to Cincinnati to take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals, one of the top betting favorites to win the AFC.
Unfortunately for Mayo and Patriots fans, the rookie head coach could be in for a tough debut season as the Patriots are the betting favorites to finish last in the AFC East.
The franchise does have a reason to be excited for the season, however, as they moved on from draft bust Mac Jones and drafted UNC quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.