FOXBORO — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wouldn’t address his team’s performance or that of head coach Jerod Mayo at a fan event at Gillette Stadium Friday.
Kraft met with fans at the Patriots pro shop as he unveiled this year’s edition of his Nike Air Force 1 sneakers. But he had very little to say to reporters who were hoping to hear from Kraft about the Patriots’ six-game losing streak and the growing criticism of his rookie head coach.
Kraft told the fans the Patriots hope to start getting “some W’s on the field” soon.
WBZ-TV’s Levan Reid asked him what he had to say to Patriots fans about going through the ups and downs of a 1-and-6 season, the Patriots worst since Kraft bought the team in 1994.
“It was unbelievable to shake the hands of all these people that have been here all night. They love the team and it just puts a great responsibility on us to work hard to make things as best we can and also to have a franchise that people are proud to be branded with,” Kraft said, before leaving without taking any more questions.
Kraft doesn’t discuss Jerod Mayo calling Patriots “soft”
After Sunday’s 32-16 loss to the Jaguars in London, head coach Jerod Mayo called the Patriots “a soft football team.” He tried to clarify Monday that he meant they were playing soft, but the message remained pretty clear.
While there were mixed reactions to that comment in the Patriots locker room, most players took it in stride. But there was no opportunity to get Kraft’s thoughts on the comment Friday morning, and he didn’t mention Mayo in his quick chat with the media.
Patriots held a team meeting on Thursday
The Patriots held a team meeting on Thursday, where injured captain Ja’Whaun Bentley addressed the team. While Kraft didn’t touch that topic Friday morning, Mayo did at his press conference with reporters.
The message of that meeting was that everyone has to put a greater focus on the team over their own personal stats, which includes taking care of themselves away from the building.
“That’s always the message, especially when you sit here with our record right now,” Mayo told reporters Friday. “We have to figure out ways to go out there and get better. We have a good team coming in, we have to have good energy and we all have to be on the same page in all three phases.”
Tune in to Sunday’s Patriots-Jets clash on WBZ-TV — your flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage kicks off Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. (which you can also stream on CBSBoston.com), and switch to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
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