After Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Jerod Mayo’s first comments weren’t about anything that happened in the game. They were about the man whose image was emblazoned on the pin over the New England Patriots coach’s heart.
It was the image of Army Sergeant First Class Daniel Ferguson, who was one of three soldiers killed by a gunman in the 2014 mass shooting at Fort Hood. Ferguson sacrificed his life holding a door shut, preventing the shooter from accessing a crowded room of military personnel.
Ferguson, who enlisted in the Army in 1993, had just returned from an eight-month tour in Afghanistan when he lost his life at the Texas military base. Sunday would have been his 50th birthday.
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Each year, the Patriots pick one game per year around Veterans Day to work with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) program to honor those who lost their lives while on active duty.
The TAPS program provides care and resources to the family and loved ones who are “grieving a death in the military or veteran community,” its website states.
Coaches wore pins with the name and image of a fallen soldier. Patriots players wore stickers on the back of their helmets featuring the initials of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The pins and support for the TAPS program are a tradition started during Bill Belichick’s tenure in New England. The former Patriots coach, whose father coached at Navy, is a strong supporter of military personnel and their families.
Jerod Mayo kept a Belichick tradition alive by honoring a fallen hero on the sidelines of Sunday’s game. But unlike his predecessor, he did it while wearing the NFL’s “Salute to Service” gear. Belichick, who grew up the son of a coach at the United States Naval Academy, famously, shunned wearing the apparel.
“Hopefully you’ve seen these pins the guys are wearing, and we all were out there representing a fallen hero, a fallen soldier, which I think is important. I think the TAPS program, they do a great job. We’ll support these guys – as long as I’m here, we’ll continue to support them.”
Mayo, who wore a “Salute to Service” hat during and after the game, has described himself as a “military brat.” His mother works at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. His father served in the military. His grandfather was a chief master sergeant sergeant in the Air Force.
On Sunday, his focus was on Ferguson — and taking a moment to honor those who have served their country.
“Today I was representing Army Sergeant First Class Daniel Ferguson, known as Danny to his friends and family, and really gave the ultimate sacrifice for our safety,” Mayo said. “Today would have been his birthday. Pretty tough situation. Especially coming from a military family, I can’t imagine suffering a loss like that, but I think the TAPS program is a great program.”
More information on the TAPS program can be found here.
