Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is one of the most avid and public New England Patriots fans in the country, but even he isn’t sure where he stands with head coach Mike Vrabel these days.
The NFL offseason was dominated by a new cycle surrounding Vrabel and what many believe was a years-long inappropriate relationship with NFL reporter Dianna Russini, after pictures of the two spending time together over the past several years were published by online media outlets. Following the release of the pictures, Russini stepped down from her post with The Athletic, and Vrabel attended counseling, but he remains with the Pats.
Portnoy saw Vrabel over the weekend at Patriots quarterback Dray Maye’s celebrity softball game, but he said he didn’t speak to the coach, and gave an interesting reason as to why.
“No, I did not. I was afraid to go up to him,” Portnoy said, according to Page Six. “I do have a relationship with him in the past [but] I have no idea what he’s seen, what I’ve said.”
“… I mean, it was like a locker room environment. He was totally normal and got a very big standing ovation. I saw him. He seemed like he was in good spirits. Normal interaction with all the players.”
Still has Vrabel’s back
Even if Portnoy is a bit afraid to approach Vrabel, he still has the head coach’s back. He issued a warning to teams not to poke fun at the situation ahead of the NFL schedule release.
“Let me say this loud and clear. I will be monitoring all schedule releases and anybody who makes a joke about this disgusting controversy will be put on my list and face potential legal action. You’ve been warned,” Portnoy posted on X.
Ultimately, Porntoy must have determined that no lines were crossed, even though a coupe of teams did reference the situation.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.