A word salad is not an apology. Or accountability.
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel met with reporters April 21 for the first time since photos surfaced of him and Dianna Russini, The Athletic’s former NFL insider, and used a whole lot of words to say not much of anything. He acknowledged “difficult” conversations with his family and his players without saying why they were necessary.
Vrabel said everyone, including him, needs to make good decisions on and off the field to be successful, without conceding why the reminder was needed or what those photos of much-too-familiar interactions with Russini portended. He said you never want to cause a distraction but was a bit vague on whether he meant that personally or in the general sense.
He promised, going forward, that his family and the Patriots would get the best version of him. Again, without acknowledging the elephant in the room.
If someone had been living under a rock these last two weeks, they’d have come away from Vrabel’s statement having no idea what he was talking about or why. Which isn’t how this is supposed to go. Either take responsibility for your poor behavior or don’t, but don’t spout a bunch of PR speak that requires people to read between the lines and call it accountability.
