This boiling hot water isn’t cooling down anytime soon! One after another, analysts and NFL stars have criticized Jerod Mayo’s “soft team” comments after Sunday’s loss. The most recent to join this criticism is the Patriots’ former safety, Rodney Harrison.

In the episode of Sunday Night Football on NBC aired on Saturday, Rodney Harrison joined host Mike Florio to talk about New England head coach, Jerod Mayo. He clearly appeared frustrated with what the HC called out to the team. Hence, sharing his anger in the media, Harrison said, “I thought it was very disrespectful to the players in the locker room. I think this is a moment where he can actually learn from. I thought he was very premature saying that his team was soft, you got to look at yourself man you’re the head coach.”

The ripping part wasn’t over for Harrison here. Recalling what Bill Belichick said about Jerod Mayo’s comment earlier, the former safety emphasized that some of the players in the team are from Belichick’s era. And hence, being a coach, he should “get these guys motivated, you got to get them engaged, and he has to do a better job.” The ex-Patriots also noted that calling a football player “soft” is one of the worst insults in the sport, as players put in immense effort to prepare for every game.

After the Patriots lost to the Jaguars, Jerod Mayo said, “We’re a soft football team across the board.” So, Harrison thinks it’s a kind of betrayal, because “we can’t trust this guy. He tells us one thing in the locker room. And then he gets in front of the media. He throws us under the bus talking about how soft we are.” Even this remark didn’t sit well with Belichick. He straightaway added, “They’re not soft, they were the best team in the league last year against the run. And those guys that are out there, went out there and did it. Even though we couldn’t score many points offensively.”

Now everyone is blaming Jerod Mayo over his unprompted opening statement. However his teammates, on the other hand, are supporting him. For instance, running back Rhamondre Stevenson took it as a challenge. He mentioned, “I don’t think he thinks we’re a soft team. We’re playing soft at the moment, but I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around.” But if you ask Tom Brady’s teammate, Rodney Harrison, he will say, “If I’m in that locker room, I’ll take it personally. It pisses me off if he says that I’m a soft football player.”

So, it’s clear that the heat is there among the former stars of the team. But according to Jerod Mayo, he didn’t mean anything like that!

Jerod Mayo tried to clear the air!

The very next day, head coach Jerod Mayo revisited his comments to clear his stance. And what he meant, according to him was – “I felt like we just went out there and played soft. We’re playing soft at the moment.” Hence, quickly collecting all his words, Mayo also showed confidence in his team, by saying, “Now in saying that, do I think we have the guys in there that can turn this ship around? One hundred percent. But that comes through hard work and getting better each and every day.”

This statement also resonated with what quarterback Drake Maye recently said, “Coach Mayo isn’t going to come in here and say something he hasn’t said to the locker room. I think we’re not tough. He always preaches being tough. We’re not running the football, stopping the run and covering kicks, is what he said. I think he does a great job relaying the message to us, and the guys know.”

Well, that’s a very clear explanation of what the team thinks about his “soft” comments. They all believe in their head coach, reflecting on their mistakes in the season.