Jerod Mayo's Wife Rips Rumors on Patriots HC's Firing: 'What Happened to the Class?'

Jerod Mayo's wife took to social media on Friday to speak out against rumors associated with Mayo's firing as head coach of the New England Patriots after just one season.

Chantel Mayo made two posts on her Instagram Stories, taking aim at some of the reports that have come out regarding her husband since the Patriots fired him on Sunday.

In part, Chantel Mayo took aim at the "lies" being told about Jerod, adding, "What happened to the class?"

Chantel went on to write that while she and Jerod had been "taking the high road," however, "playing with someone's name won't be tolerated."

Mayo, 38, was a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Patriots from 2008 to 2015 before becoming the team's inside linebackers coach in 2019.

Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, Patriots owner Bill Belichick chose Mayo as the successor to legendary head coach Bill Belichick, but he was not supposed to take over until 2025.

However, Belichick and the Patriots parted ways after the 2023 season, prompting the Patriots to put the succession plan into action earlier than anticipated. As a result, Belichick did not mentor Mayo as much as the Patriots had hoped and expected before his departure.

Multiple reports suggest that Mayo was unprepared and perhaps not cut out for the head coaching role.

Sources close to the team told Graff that rather than watching film on the team plane following a 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, Mayo played cards with some of the players.

A source said it "felt like another example of Mayo going too far in the opposite direction of Belichick."

Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald also put out some negative reports related to Mayo's head coaching capabilities.

Some candidates for the Patriots' offensive coordinator position were reportedly "unimpressed" with Mayo's approach, prompting him to hire Alex Van Pelt.

There was reportedly also a miscommunication involving Mayo in Week 17, as he meant to bench running back Rhamondre Stevenson. However, while Mayo told Van Pelt of the plan, it was not communicated to running backs coach Taylor Embree, which resulted in Stevenson taking the field with the starting offense.

Overall, the Patriots went just 4-13 in 2024, which was the same record they posted in 2023 under Belichick.

The Patriots were positioned to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft entering Week 18, but they beat a Buffalo Bills team resting their starters 23-16, dropping them to the No. 4 overall pick.

Just hours after their season-ending win, the Patriots announced that they were moving on from Mayo after just one season.

The Patriots are already deep into their search to replace Mayo, having interviewed former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.