Bossip
Video
Source:
Boston
Globe
/
Getty
The
New
England
Patriots
have
hired
a
Black
man
to
be
their
head
coach
for
the
first
time
in
franchise
history
this
week.
Former
Assistant
Coach
and
player
(linebacker)
Jerod
Mayo
was
introduced
to
the
media
yesterday
by
owner
Robert
Kraft
as
the
HNIC
for
the
team
that
represents
the
red,
white,
and
blue
faithful
in
Maine,
Vermont,
New
Hampshire,
Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
and
Rhode
Island.
Source:
Maddie
Meyer
/
Getty
For
those
who
aren’t
into
sports,
whenever
a
Black
head
coach
is
hired
to
helm
a
team
in
any
sport
that
has
never
had
the
privilege
of
being
led
by
an
African-American
man,
almost
invariably
some
reporter
will
ask
about
how
race
factors
into
their
job.
It
rarely
fails.
While
that
question
should
be
a
layup
for
any
melanated
person
sitting
in
that
chair,
unfortunately,
many
a
head
coach
has
fumbled
the
opportunity
to
speak
truth
to
power
on
that
big
national
stage.
Source:
Maddie
Meyer
/
Getty
That
fear,
inability,
or
refusal
to
speak
up
is
how
we
end
up
with
guys
like
Hubert
Davis
being
hired
as
the
first
Black
man
to
ever
be
the
head
coach
of
the
University
of
North
Carolina’s
men’s
basketball
team
and
ranting
about
how
proud
he
is
of
his
white
wife.
Sufficed
to
say,
the
hiring
of
a
first
Black
coach
has
largely
been
equal
parts
joyous
and
embarrassing.
It’s
really
that
simple.
Not
hard
at
all.
It’s
wild
to
watch
Black
coach
after
Black
coach
have
such
an
inexplicably
hard
time
just
making
it
plain
as
John
Lewis
would
say.
Of
course,
this
type
of
lucid
communication
is
the
bane
of
white
folks’
existence.
That
said,
Jerod
Mayo’s
response
to
the
race
question
was
a
Black
a**
breath
of
fresh
air.
According
to
The
Providence
Journal,
Mayo
takes
great
pride
in
being
the
Patriots’
first
Black
head
coach
and
he’s
not
going
to
run
from
that
fact
while
so
many
of
his
brothas
are
being
either
denied
opportunities
or
are
being
completely
overlooked
as
a
potential
HC.
“You
better
believe
that
being
the
first
Black
coach
here
in
New
England
means
a
lot
to
me,”
Mayo,
who
was
drafted
10th
overall
in
2008
out
of
Tennessee,
said
inside
Gillette
Stadium
on
Wednesday
afternoon.
At
37
years
old,
Mayo
becomes
the
youngest
head
coach
in
the
entire
NFL
and
all
eyes
will
be
on
him
as
he
attempts
to
blaze
his
own
trail
in
the
wake
of
the
historic
success
of
former
head
coach
Bill
Belichick.
Let’s
keep
a
buck,
the
folks
in
Massachusetts
don’t
have
a
good
rep
when
it
comes
to
racism
so
we’d
be
fools
not
to
expect
some
of
them
to
act
liek
donkeys
of
the
day
when
inevitable
turbulence
occurs
during
the
2024-2025
season.
Hopefully,
there
will
be
some
newer,
darker
Patriots
fans
at
the
games
to
g-check
the
soup
cookies
when
their
saltiness
turns
into
slurs.
