Mike Vrabel brushed off Tom Brady’s polarizing Super Bowl LX comment Friday morning, breaking his public silence on the remark for the first time.
The comment reignited chatter about Brady’s complicated new role as a Las Vegas Raiders owner, one that left some wondering whether his old loyalties had shifted for good. Brady, of course, remains the greatest and most legendary Patriots player in franchise history, playing 20 years in New England and leading the team to a record six Super Bowl championships in nine appearances.
Vrabel, a Patriots linebacker before he became head coach, was Brady’s teammate for eight seasons and played on three Super Bowl-winning Brady-led teams in four tries.
But despite his deep Patriots roots, before New England’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Brady â who retired in 2022 â made clear he wasn’t picking a side.
“I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. May the best team win,” Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” SiriusXM podcast with Jim Gray, as quoted by NFL.com. Brady added that New England was in a new chapter under Vrabel, one he was glad to see fans and players embrace, and that he simply wanted to watch good football play out.
The remark didn’t sit well with everyone in New England. Former Patriots teammates including Vince Wilfork pushed back publicly, with Wilfork calling the comment “bullcrap,” according to a separate NBC Sports report.
Seattle went on to beat New England 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in February, a game in which the Patriots didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards and earned MVP honors, kicker Jason Myers made five field goals, and Seattle’s defense forced two Drake Maye interceptions, including a pick-six.
Mike Vrabel Downplays Tom Brady’s Super Bowl Comment
GettyPatriots coach Mike Vrabel finally responded to Tom Bradyâs claim that he had “no dog in this fight” before the Patriots vs. Seahawks Super Bowl.
Vrabel, speaking in a WEEI Radio interview Friday, said the remark never bothered him.
“Clearly Tom’s gone out of his way to make it known that he’s trying to, you know â he has a new job and a new role and, you know, it is really what it is,” Vrabel said Friday on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show, as quoted by NBC Sports’ Mike Florio. “Tom’s a friend, he’ll always be a friend. He was a former teammate, but, I mean, he’s made it clear, like, ‘I’m doing something new now.’”
Vrabel’s tone suggested he views Brady’s comment as more about a new phase of life than any lack of loyalty toward the franchise where he spent two decades.
Vrabel Addresses Tom Brady-Mike Macdonald Rumor
Vrabel was also pressed on a separate storyline that surfaced over the summer. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told radio host Dan Patrick that someone with a “conflict of interest” helped Seattle prepare for the Super Bowl, according to NBC Sports.
Macdonald named Baltimore’s John Harbaugh as one contact but wouldn’t identify the person with the conflict, and speculation quickly centered on Brady, given his ties to Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was later hired as the Raiders’ head coach, a move in which Brady played a “hands on” role.
Macdonald later said he wasn’t referring to Brady.
Asked directly whether he believed Brady and Macdonald spoke before the game, Vrabel didn’t dodge the question, according to NBC Sports.
“Probably. He hired his offensive coordinator. I mean, that’s not why we lost the game. Like, we talked to a lot of people, and, you know, there’s a lot of film, and it’s not why we lost the game,” Vrabel was quoted as saying Friday. “I’m sure they talked.”
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