How Mike Vrabel act to irritate Titans owner before being fired

admin | January 11, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

One day after learning that Tennessee Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk had fired head coach Mike Vrabel, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained in multiple on-air segments how Vrabel’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame this fall played a role in his dismissal from Tennessee.

“I would say maybe the last several months ever since Mike Vrabel went to New England, took part in the Hall of Fame day, and all of the rumors started floating about whether or not Mike Vrabel would be the Patriots coach next year [or] whether he’d be the Titans coach,” Rapoport said, as shared by Hayden Bird of Boston.com and Dakota Randall of NESN. “He never really addressed that internally. I know that didn’t sit great with the people there.”

Vrabel addressed the Gillette Stadium audience during a halftime ceremony in Week 7 of the 2023-24 NFL regular season, urging Patriots fans to “not take this organization for granted.”

“I’ve been to a lot of places,” Vrabel continued. “This is a special place with exceptional leadership, fans, direction, and coaching.” Have fun with it. This is not the case everywhere.”

Because of apparent “friction” between Vrabel and Titans general manager Ran Carthon, Vrabel was later considered as a prospective alternative for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Carthon asserted on Tuesday that he and Vrabel “never had any issue, whether it’s personal or professional,” and Rapoport suggested that Tuesday’s firing was unrelated to Vrabel-Carthon issues.

“This was Amy Adams Strunk making the decision based on a lot of things – including what happened when he went to New England for the Hall of Fame thing, including not dispelling rumors in-house that he was going to go be the Patriots coach – there was a lot there,” Rapoport said about Vrabel. “She clearly made the decision that she wanted to move on in the best interest of the organization.”

Vrabel, who was a member of the New England Patriots from 2001 to 2008, is now free to take whatever job he desires. While at least one source continues to predict that Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft will break ways with Belichick this winter, the Krafts may not acknowledge any Belichick decision until February.