New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel fired back at an NFL referee who gave him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for using profanity, calling him "sensitive"
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots looks on
Mike Vrabel was penalized for swearing at a referee during the Patriots' Week 4 win over the Bills(Image: Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel fired back at an NFL referee who penalized him for an explicit rant.
The Patriots got back to winning ways in Week 4 with a 29-26 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills, but it did not come without a little bit of stress.
Vrabel, who has been under scrutiny amid his team’s lackluster start to the season, put that on full display when he launched a verbal rant directed at one referee during Sunday’s game and earned himself an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Following the win, the referee pool report revealed exactly why Vrabel received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty from the last spot of the ball.
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“He was out of the box, came up to the official and said, ‘That was a f—--- terrible call,’” lead referee Bill Vinovich told ESPN’s Mike Reiss in the pool report.
When asked if Vrabel should have received a warning before being penalized, Vinovich said, “I don’t know how you’re going to give a warning. It’s not something that is going to happen twice. When you use language like that, it’s pretty much a given.”
Vrabel did not hold back at all in his post-game press conference when asked about his penalty.
Head Coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks to a referee
Vrabel is one of many NFL coaches who regularly has heated backs-and-forth with referees(Image: Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
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“I told him it was a terrible f-ing call. I’ve said that 87 times since I’ve been a head coach. It was nothing derogatory. You’d have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive,” Vrabel told the press.
Vrabel continued: “Once I get the word from upstairs that it wasn’t what we felt like was a good call, which I’m going to trust (John Streicher) with my life, I probably shouldn’t have swore.”
“But I can tell you in my history of being on the sidelines as a head coach, I’ve said that. And I apologized to him. Again, the players responded. It was unfortunate and I have to be better in those moments.”
The penalty, which occurred with less than two minutes remaining in the first half and New England leading 14-7, did not deter the Patriots from securing a much-needed victory amid a difficult start to the season.
It was also not the only controversy involving referees during Week 4.
During the Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings game, a referee yelled in the face of a Vikings player after being sent to the ground via an accidental collision.
In the Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants game, a referee allegedly used profanity towards Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, an incident which the NFL is currently reviewing.