Guregian: Vrabel Press Conference 'Absolutely Necessary'

[0:00] Back here on Zolak and Bertrand, no Zoe, no Beatle, it's Tim McComb, it's Joe Murray. [0:05] We're now joined by someone who's actually down at Gillette Stadium for the press conference here, Joe. [0:11] That would be Karen Greene at MassLive. [0:13] Karen, thanks for taking the time. Appreciate it. [0:15] How you doing, guys? [0:18] Good, thanks. [0:19] So I guess my first question will be, can you kind of take us through the process of what just took place down there at Gillette? [0:25] Because it seemed like it was a little unorthodox. [0:27] Brought in under the guise that two players were going to be available to speak with because, you know, their off-season program began yesterday. [0:43] Initially, that pressure was going to be yesterday with the two players, but given it was Patriots Day and a million other things going on, I think they pushed it to today, Tuesday. [0:55] So we all gathered at the brand spanking new New Balance facility, which is awesome, as a side note, expecting two players. [1:10] Casey James, who is the head of communications, got out to the podium and basically told us that Mike didn't want the players to address us before him [1:27] and thought this was a good opportunity for him to kind of offer up a statement. [1:36] And then when the statement was over, kind of chat with us informally in kind of a Q&A session. [1:45] And that's exactly what took place. [1:50] So have you ever had a situation in your years covering the Patriots where you've had a situation where, like, a statement has come out [1:56] and then there's no audio-video allowed in that setting like that? [2:02] No. [2:06] Karen, I know you have a great relationship with Mike Vrabel, but what do you think the reason for it was that there was no video or audio? [2:13] And the questions you guys asked were great. [2:16] You came right off the bat and even addressed it. [2:19] I wasn't going to hold back there, Joe. [2:22] With the first question, absolutely. [2:24] But, I mean, you asked the question. [2:26] He said he can't answer it right now. [2:28] But I think the hardest part for us is why it wasn't that on the audio or video. [2:34] I guess we're making a big deal about that. [2:36] But I am glad that he at least kind of – I mean, you guys see him every day. [2:40] You're going to work with him every day. [2:42] You asked him the question. [2:44] I just thought – we just think it's a little odd that there was no video. [2:47] Yeah, I don't know. [2:48] Maybe there was some PR quality to it. [2:53] You know, he said his piece and maybe they – I don't know. [2:58] They didn't want to have a press conference where we're asking him intensely private and personal questions about a really sensitive subject, let's say. [3:11] What did you make of the statement, Karen, and what do you think of just the situation going from the initial New York Post quote about being laughable to now the statement that we got today? [3:23] I mean, he apologized for our – well, he said he appreciated our patience for waiting for him to speak. [3:36] He said there were things that he needed to do in terms of who he needed to address first. [3:44] He had to get certain things in order, and that was kind of the explanation for the delay, I guess. [3:55] But, you know, my view is it was an absolutely necessary thing for him to do. [4:02] I don't think he necessarily shed much light on the subject or he didn't necessarily refute anything. [4:15] He spoke a bit in generalities and basically, at least in my view, I think he basically tried to imply that he had made a mistake and that he had spoken to the players about it and told them, you know, given all the things he preaches, this wasn't the way to go, but it was time to move on kind of thing. [4:49] I think all of that was kind of implied in what he said. [4:53] Karen, do you think he took accountability in his statement? [5:02] I think – I mean, it's hard to think that he's going to come out and say, you know, hi, I'm a married man who was out in Sedona, Arizona with a married woman. [5:17] You know, I don't think – [5:18] Yeah. [5:19] I don't think we were going to get those type of details. [5:22] But he did say as a head coach, he had to be accountable for actions. [5:33] He didn't specify which actions. [5:35] But, again, it was like – it was a bit of a song and dance. [5:40] But beneath the song and dance was an implied message that he messed up. [5:46] But, again, who knows what would happen next? [6:19] But I do know that Thursday night, and this was the goal, I don't have any reason to come out with that first question and ask about the scandal. [6:32] Yeah, Karen, just to follow up on it, do you think the players would have to answer any of these tough questions regarding their head coach after this statement? [6:46] I'm sure they'll be asked at some point. [6:49] Do you think that's why he addressed it? [6:50] I'm not guessing they're – [6:51] Was that one of the reasons why he addressed the team outside of being accountable, just the fact that maybe they're going to be asked about some of these tough questions? [7:03] Yeah. [7:04] But I do think, ultimately, that's the guy he is. [7:11] He wants them to be accountable, and he has to be accountable to them. [7:16] He didn't tell us what he said to the players, but I would think that maybe he was a little more descriptive than what he was with us. [7:29] He would think that he owes it to them to be as straightforward with them as he can be because that's what he expects of them. [7:37] And in all my years knowing him, covering him first as a player, I think that he felt he needed to handle that head-on with the players first. [7:56] All right. [7:59] She's Karen Greene in MassLive. [8:00] Karen, thanks for taking the time and giving us a few minutes coming off an eventful day down at Gillette Stadium. [8:05] Appreciate it. [8:06] All right, guys. [8:07] Have a good one. [8:08] Thanks, Karen. [8:08] Thanks, Karen. [8:11] All right. [8:13] Accountability in his own way. [8:14] You know, that's why I wanted to ask about the players. [8:18] Like, this puts them in a tough spot, right? [8:23] Drake May is going to be, you know, at some sort of workout or maybe when, you know, camp actually opens. [8:32] Hey, what were your thoughts on the coach's statement from the offseason? [8:37] Oh, man, you know, man, you know. [8:39] Like, it's just I don't want that for the players. [8:42] Well, look, I do think it's important, by the way, that he addressed the media before players did, right, which is what, you know, Stacy told the media. [8:49] I also think some of that is that you say it's two players. [8:52] So, it's a quieter day down there, right? [8:54] You don't get as many cameras down there. [8:56] It's not a media frenzy by announcing that Mike Rabel is going to be at the podium because if that is the case, then you're going to get way more people down there. [9:04] So, they definitely took care of that. [9:08] But I'm with you, you know, putting those players in that position where they have to answer it. [9:11] I'm sure it's something that they discussed and certainly probably gave players a generic answer that they can kind of go to and go back to the statement in terms of how to answer that question. [9:21] She mentioned that it was a ruse. [9:24] They thought they were going to have two players today. [9:28] We've seen that in the past, though, right? [9:29] Like, if you're trying to minimize how many people are dead, if you announce that Mike Rabel's head coming to the podium, you're going to get every TV station in Boston. [9:38] You're going to get every TV station from Providence. [9:40] You're going to get every, like, MUR down in New Hampshire. [9:43] So, you're telling me the timing was good? [9:45] Right? [9:45] Let's say, you know what? [9:46] Yeah, we're going to have two special teamers come out and talk. [9:49] And that way, you get a group of B reporters and maybe, like, one camera down there. [9:53] Tuesday, a school vacation. [9:54] Right, exactly. [9:55] Let's do it. [9:55] I think that's a good time to do it. [9:57] Well, two players are going to be coming to the podium. [9:59] No, no. [10:00] Nope. [10:00] It's going to be Mike Rabel. [10:01] I think it's interesting that Karen, in all her time covering the Patriots, though, has never had a situation like she did today. [10:08] It's funny because we asked. [10:09] I don't think she had the answer either. [10:11] No. [10:12] No. [10:12] I mean, we should probably move on from it, but it's weird. [10:17] It's weird. [10:17] It's weird. [10:18] And everything that they asked were fine questions. [10:22] I thought they did a good job. [10:24] Yeah.