Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in today’s win over the bills, and he said after the game that he felt the official who flagged him was being too sensitive.
Vrabel acknowledged using profanity and telling the official he had made a bad call on a defensive holding penalty that gave the Bills a first down after the Patriots’ defense had forced a third-down incompletion. But Vrabel said that in all his years as a coach he has made similar comments to officials many times without getting flagged.
“I told him it was a terrible — I’m not going to say effing — call,” Vrabel said. “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 said that John “Stretch” Streicher, who has been one of Vrabel’s most trusted assistant coaches since the two worked together in Tennessee, told him over his headset that it was a bad call. Vrabel said that when he’s been assured a call was wrong, he feels justified in telling the officials that.
“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,” Vrabel said. “It was unfortunate and I have to be better in those moments.”
Referee Bill Vinovich told Mike Reiss after the game that the profanity crossed a line.
“He was out of the box, came up to the official and said, ‘That was a f-----g terrible call,” Vinovich said.
Asked if he gave Vrabel a warning, Vinovich answered, “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.”
It’s pretty much a given that Vrabel will be hearing from the league office this week.