It's not exactly shocking that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots don't have a great relationship after the team decided to part ways with the legendary head coach following the 2023 season.
That tension was more apparent than usual this week after some interesting comments from Belichick over the weekend, and now current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has weighed in on the situation.
Bill Belichick Bans Patriots Scouts
Last week, reports began to surface that Belichick, who is now the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels at the college level, had banned Patriots scouts from the North Carolina facilities. After Saturday's game, Belichick actually confirmed the move.
"It's obvious I'm not welcome at their facility, so they're not welcome at ours," Belichick said after the game, via ESPN.
It was a pretty blunt message from Belichick, and it forced a response from Vrabel this week.
Mike Vrabel Addresses the Issue
During an appearance on "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday, Vrabel broke his silence on Belichick's comments from Saturday as he claimed that Belichick is indeed welcome back at the Patriots' facilities.
Vrabel pointed out that Belichick has already been back at the Patriots' facilities since his departure, as he attended Tom Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Gillette Stadium in June 2024.
"I guess [Belichick's] welcome back based on the fact that he was there, so I'll just go by that," Vrabel said. "Since his departure as a head coach here, he's been back, and I'll leave it at that."
Belichick's Relationship With Vrabel
It's worth noting that while Belichick does have an apparent beef with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, Diana Russini of The Athletic reports that Belichick has no issue with Vrabel, who is actually his former player.
"Belichick, I'm told, has no issue with his former linebacker Mike Vrabel, now the Patriots' head coach, or with New England executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf," Russini said last week. "This is all about his feelings toward his former bosses, Robert and Jonathan Kraft."
Vrabel played for Belichick from 2001 to 2008, where the two won three Super Bowl titles together.
Kraft Promises Belichick Statue
Despite the apparent bad blood between Kraft and Belichick, the Patriots' owner recently revealed plans to build a statue of Belichick next to the recently erected statue of Tom Brady outside the stadium.
"When Bill's coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy," Kraft told WBZ-TV.
We'll have to see whether or not Kraft and Belichick will be able to put aside their differences before that point.
This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Sep 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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