Mike Vrabel, head coach of the New England Patriots, will skip the final rounds of the NFL Draft to seek counseling and spend time with family. His decision raises questions about the priorities during the draft process.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was with his organization for the first round of the NFL Draft last night. He'll be with the club again, tonight, for rounds two and three, but will then go on leave tomorrow, while rounds four through seven transpire.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” Vrabel said in statement Wednesday. “In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend.”
This is a strange move to say the least. The need for both counseling and spending time with family is, according his actions, more important than rounds four through seven of the draft, but still not as high a priority as rounds one through three. The reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year still refuses to say why he needs to be with his family and attend counseling, but if you've clicked here, you already know why.
And in the off chance you don't know what this is all about, the mothership publication of this website can fill you in here and here.
Vrabel won't fully come clean about what is going on, but he's spewed enough of the industry standard "taking accountability" pablum that it comes off as a non-confession sort of confession.
According to reports, the Patriots aren't using an outside crisis management firm on this matter, and well, it certainly shows. It's difficult to decipher the curious logic on this one. Unless the counseling program being utilized here is booked on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday?
They can't somehow squeeze in the leader of the reigning AFC champions? A healthcare provider can't accommodate this man who makes $14-$17,000,000 per season?
Mike Vrabel is skipping the last rounds to seek counseling and prioritize family time.
Vrabel stated he promised to give the best version of himself and committed to seeking counseling starting this weekend.
Vrabel's absence during crucial draft rounds suggests personal issues that he prioritizes over his professional responsibilities.
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At the end of the day, this is a personal and family matter, not a football one, except on a couple dimensions. First off, Vrabel has been the lead story in all of sports for the past week or so. Coverage of his situation has simply overshadowed even the NFL Draft itself.
That is the very definition of a "distraction," a word that was applied a year ago at this time to Shedeur Sanders and his attention-seeking personality and publicity hounding father. In 2017, this word was slapped on Colin Kaepernick and his protests against police brutality. Or in 2014, with Michael Sam and his sexual orientation. If they were all deemed "distractions," then Vrabel is every bit "distracting" and more.
Secondly, Vrabel has lost the ability to tell his own players not to be a distraction. If he wants to tell them "don't get in trouble off-the-field, don't do anything where the fallout will be bigger than the football team" he now has no leg to stand on.
Sure, he can still say it, but there will be no credibility behind it. That is, actually, an important trait for a football coach to have, but that train has long left the station.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Mike Vrabel not losing the crisis management game with draft decision