Patriots Rumors: Staffer Calls Out ‘Selfish’ Team Leaders
The Patriots were a complete and total disaster this past season, but there’s one aspect of the chaos that doesn’t get talked about enough.
New England was ravaged by injuries in 2024.
No, that’s not the only reason the club was among the worst in football, but losing linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, center David Andrews, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and safety Jabrill Peppers for long stretches of the season had an impact both on and off the field.
The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan released a detailed report on Thursday, with one anonymous staffer giving a specific example as to how those injuries played a part off the field.
“You get selfish guys like that being the ‘leaders,’ or at least influencers within the locker room,” one staffer said. “It’s (expletive).”
Who exactly could they have been talking about?
Jahlani Tavai was thrust into an unfamiliar leadership role on the defense, eventually sticking his foot in his mouth with some tone-deaf comments regarding fans that ultimately got him benched. Jonathan Jones and Kyle Dugger were thrust into leadership roles without Peppers, and it seemed like one of them wanted it a little too much while the other was completely uninterested.
Bentley called out players and coaches for their professionalism and work ethic during one midseason meeting, which was weeks following his season-ending injury. Why couldn’t anyone else step up?
The Patriots are looking to bring someone aboard who can fix the damaging cultural habits that formed due to these injuries because Jerod Mayo clearly couldn’t.