FOXBORO, Mass. — After New England Patriots fans emphatically voiced their displeasure during the team’s 40-7 Week 17 loss to the Chargers last Saturday, one of the team’s veteran defensive players expressed his disapproval and had some stern words for the fanbase.
When asked by WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Friday about fans who booed or chanted “Fire Mayo” at Gillette Stadium last week, six-year linebacker Jahlani Tavai said “Of course” he was bothered by it.
“There’s a reason why they’re fans. Everybody can say what they think we should be doing, but in the long end they’re not qualified to do what Mayo is doing or whatever the Krafts are doing,” Tavai said.” “They’re fans, I appreciate them at times, but sometimes they just gotta know their place and just understand that it’s a work in progress. Rome wasn’t built in one day.”
Tavai also said he told a fan to quiet down “in a non-polite way” during Sunday’s route.
Tavai compared the struggles of the 3-13 Patriots under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo to Detriot Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s freshman campaign. Campell and the Lions struggled through a 3-13-1 slog of a year in 2021. On Sunday night, Campbell and the 14-2 Lions will have a chance to clinch the NFC North and a first-round playoff bye with a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Tavai spent training camp with the 2021 Lions before being waived and latching on in New England.
“There’s been teams that have shown a work in progress team like the Lions, what, four years ago when Dan Campbell took over,” Tavai said. “And then these past two years — like I’m not trying to compare but that’s a goal that we’re trying to develop here in this new regime. That’s the vision to get to how the Lions are improving. That’s the type of team that we see ourselves at as a playoff contender, and unfortunately that’s not like this year.”
Patriots defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Deatrich Wise also spoke out against fans who booed on Sunday.
Mayo himself acknowledged the boos postgame.
“You hear those things. At the same time, they paid to sit in the seats, and we’ve got to play better. If we play better, we don’t have to hear that stuff,” head coach Jerod Mayo said after the Patriots dropped their sixth straight game.
The Patriots will close out the regular season against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium Sunday. A loss would clinch the first overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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