Tempers flared late in Wednesday’s joint practice between the Patriots and Commanders at Gillette Stadium, culminating in a second scuffle that took an unexpected turn — with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel stepping in amid the chaos.
After practice, players from both teams weighed in on the heated exchange and what led to the dust-up:
Commanders CB Jonathan Jones on Vrabel: “I saw him out there. I thought he was in it. I don’t know if he threw a couple punches or not. We’ll have to check the tape, but no man, Mike has some intensity. He’s always been that way. He’s a fighter. Never change.”
Commanders DE Deatrich Wise Jr. on fight: “Football is going to have some type of pushing and shoving, but when you’re in there, you just make sure everything calms down, break everything up, and then back to ball.”
Wise Jr. on Vrabel: “Yeah, [Mike Vrabel] dove in there. He showed some tenacity, some grit. I saw a little cut, but I feel like that right there just shows what Patriot’s all about. You know, being tough… He may think he can still play. He has his strength. He grabbed some guys today. I was like, oh he’s strong, so he probably could give a nice drive.”
Patriots TE Hunter Henry on Vrabel: “I mean, he’s right there with us, man. I think that player comes out in him a little, too. But you’ve got to love a coach that loves to compete. Has his competitive juices just like us.”
Patriots WR Demario Douglas on Vrabel: ““Man, that shows a lot about our coach. He’ll do anything for us. That’s love right there. I said, ‘Coach, what’s wrong with you?’ He said, ‘Hey, you should’ve seen the other guy.’ I laughed.”
Patriots QB Drake Maye on Vrabel jumping in the fight: “That’s what we’re trying to build. It starts with the head coach – the intensity, bringing it every day. Taking no crap when we’re out there on the field. But also, it comes at a time with our guys offensively getting over there and getting in some tussles and having penalties with extras after the whistle. It can get us in trouble, but as a mentality, I like it. I think that’s what you want. I almost got in there, but I think another day. We’ll see.”
Maye on when the fight happened: “Pass pro – I think it’s physical. It’s a physical game. A man’s game. Things happen out there. It’s a time where you don’t want to come out here and fight and get in trouble, but at the same time, you don’t want to back down from nobody. I’m sure coach will preach you can’t have that but at the same time, it’s in the back of our minds that’s how we want to play –(with) the intensity and when the whistle is going play hard, when the whistle stops, get up and go away.”
Maye on Vrabel bleeding: “I saw it, yeah. Somebody said it was like the Trump gun shot. I was laughing at that. You saw it when he’s breaking down the huddle. Not even sure what happened, when it happened. He said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll see it on film’.”
Patriots DT Christian Barmore on Vrabel: “He keeps the energy high every day. That’s what I love about him, man. He’s one of us. He’s got our back. We’ve got his back. That’s a coach we love. I love his energy. He’s a real great coach.”
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