Whenever the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills face each other, it usually delivers on entertainment value.
Sunday’s Week 4 matchup was no different.
The Patriots pulled off a 29-26 victory in the final seconds thanks to a miracle 29-yard touchdown catch by Efton Chism III with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter.
But arguably the most-talked about moment of the game came in the first half when Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for what he said to an official.
After the game, official Bill Vinovich spoke to a poll reporter about what happened on that play.
Referee Explains Why Mike Vrabel Was Penalized
ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss spoke with Vinovich after the game, asking why exactly Vrabel was penalized and what he said to the sideline official.
Vinovich didn’t hold back, explaining that the language Vrabel used was unacceptable.
From Reiss’ pool report:
Question: “What led to Mike Vrabel being assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty?”
Vinovich: “He was out of the box, came up to the official and said, ‘That was a f—— terrible call.’”
Question: “In a situation like that, is there any warning given?”
Vinovich: “I don’t know how you’re going to give a warning. It’s not something that is going to happen twice. When you use language like that, it’s pretty much a given.”
Fortunately for the Patriots, Vrabel’s penalty didn’t factor into the final result.
Mike Vrabel Sounds Off on ‘Sensitive’ Official
During his postgame media availability, Vrabel was asked about the controversial penalty.
The second-year Patriots coach admitted that he swore at the official. However, he didn’t expect it to result in a flag because it never did before in similar situations with previous officials.
“I told him it was a terrible f****** call,” Vrabel stated. “I’ve said that 87 times since I was a head coach. There was nothing derogatory. You’d have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive. Once I get the word from upstairs that it wasn’t what we felt like was a good call, which I’m going to trust Stretch with my life, I probably shouldn’t have swore.
“But I can tell you that in my history of being on the sidelines as a head coach, I’ve said that. And I apologized to him, and again, the players responded and it was unfortunate. I have to be better in those moments.”
It’s possible Vrabel may also have a hefty fine coming his way from the league office.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was fined $50,000 back in 2023 for unsportsmanlike conduct for abusive, threatening or insulting language to officials. Head coach Andy Reid was fined $100,000 from that same incident for publicly criticizing officials.
NFL Official Breaks Silence on Patriots HC Mike Vrabel’s Controversial Penalty