The off-field scandal between New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini has been unavoidable for the best few weeks. It’s forced Patriots fans to reckon with both rumors and Vrabel stepping away from the team during the NFL Draft.
Vrabel is back with the team now, and doing his best to balance his personal and professional responsibilities. One of those was appearing at an event for club members, where fans would go on to give him a standing ovation.
Club seat members only.
Standing ovation for Vrabel. Wow.
This was a special event for season-ticket holders. So, these are some diehard fans and not casual ones, which could reasonably be part of why Vrabel got this kind of reaction.
With that in mind, it would be irresponsible to think that this group’s reaction stands for every Patriots fan. However, it is clear that a good portion of the fanbase does intend on standing by the second-year coach.
New England Patriots Insider Phil Perry Reacts to the Standing Ovation for Mike Vrabel
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
There are certainly going to be some people who are surprised by this fan reaction to Mike Vrabel. After all, the scandal has cost Dianna Russini her job and been a significant hit to his reputation nationally. It even sparked concerns his message could become lost in the locker room, though veterans on the Patriots have stood by Vrabel publicly.
So, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston dove into the video recently. An insider for the Patriots, he argued that a media member at the event got the crowd excited to help ease Vrabel into the event.
“It doesn’t surprise me that our friend Scott Zolak would try to get the crowd going in that way,” Perry said. “I wonder if the original sort of more tepid reaction is sort of, if you’re a fan sitting in those seats, you’re not sure how Mike Vrabel is gonna be. Does he want a standing ovation? Why would you give him a standing ovation? Like he just missed a day of work for this thing that he brought upon himself. Sort of an odd situation all around. They might as well have started playing the music they play at Gillette Stadium.”
In that respect, this is a nuanced situation. As the video shows, Vrabel did receive a more typical round of seated applause before Zolak did some crowd work. That’s when the fans in attendance got up for the standing ovation.
Beyond that, the standing ovation doesn’t inherently approve of Vrabel’s behavior. It shows that he’s still beloved as the head coach of the Patriots.
Patriots Have a Reported Plan to Replace Mike Vrabel
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
As it stands now, nobody in New England wants to move on from Mike Vrabel. However, there is also a reality where the scandal gets worse, and they’re forced to make a move. So, it’s not a surprise that a recent report has it that the Patriots do have a plan in case of that emergency.
That report shared that the likely internal option would be offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. With two different stints as a head coach, McDaniels does have the necessary experience, even if those were both failed coaching tenures. It would also likely only be an interim move as well.
Externally, the Patriots would likely consider former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. He is a Super Bowl-winning head coach who parted ways with the Steelers at the end of last season. Even with some frustrating results in recent years, he’d be a quality head coach in a pinch.
Regardless, the Patriots would like to keep Vrabel for the foreseeable future. It’s just hard to know what the future holds amid this scandal.
Patriots Insider Reacts to Standing Ovation Fans Gave Mike Vrabel Amid Scandal