Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks to media ahead of Miami game amid Diggs, Barmore assault allegations
BRING YOU SOME BREAKING NEWS? LET’S TAKE YOU LIVE TO GILLETTE. RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN SEE COACH MIKE VRABEL ADDRESSING REPORTERS. LET’S LISTEN IN. TONGA WILL BE OUT. WILSON WILL BE OUT. WESTOVER WILL BE QUESTIONABLE. IS THERE A PLAN TO ACTIVATE THE MILTON OR WILL FOR THE GAME ON SUNDAY? YEAH, WE’LL SEE HOW THEY RESPOND FROM TODAY’S WORK. TRY TO GET HIM A FULL WEEK OF WORK IN. BUT I THINK IT LOOKS GOOD. BOTH OF THEM WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, WORK THE WHOLE WEEK AND WE’LL SEE WHERE WE’RE AT TOMORROW. SEEING ROBERT JUST EVEN GETTING OUT TO PRACTICE. I KNOW HE’S NOT GOING TO PLAY IN THIS GAME. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE WORK HE’S PUT IN AND JUST HAVING HIS PRESENCE? YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH AN INJURY AND YOU’RE AWAY FROM THE TEAM, YOU KNOW, GUYS THAT CARE A LOT ABOUT THE TEAM WANT TO BE OUT THERE. SO JUST TRYING TO GET THE RETURN TO PLAY. AND YOU KNOW HE FELT GOOD ENOUGH TO GET OUT THERE AND DO A LITTLE BIT OF WORK AND IN A LIMITED FASHION. SO I THINK THAT WAS POSITIVE AND EXCITED THAT HE FEELING BETTER. MIKE THIS OFF SEASON SPECIFIC WAS YOU ENCOURAGED ME TO BE A LEADER. YOU KNOW, JUST EVERYBODY IN THEIR OWN WAY, ESPECIALLY QUARTERBACKS AND HEAD COACHES, HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO TO REACH THE TEAM OR, YOU KNOW, REPRESENT THE ORGANIZATION. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THAT DRAKE CAN DO IT. AND WE FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, MAKING CONNECTIONS AND GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE. AND OBVIOUSLY. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO SAY THINGS THAT GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION, GET PLAYERS ATTENTION WHERE THEY’RE, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A DIFFERENT VERSION IN YOUR OFFICE OR LOCKER ROOM, IN A MEETING ROOMS OR ON THE FIELD. YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST ABOUT GETTING A FEEL FOR EACH PERSON THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO TO GET A MESSAGE ACROSS TO OR, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH TO HELP THEM DO THEIR JOB BETTER. MIKE YESTERDAY DURING THE MEDIA PORTION, YOU NOTICED YOU WITH SOME ONE ON ONE TIME WITH CHRISTIAN, WE NOTICED STEPHON SORT OF LEADING THE HUDDLE. ONE, TWO THREE BREAK. HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE GIVEN SOME OF THE BACKGROUND STUFF THAT’S GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS HERE? HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE HOW THEY’RE DOING, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF BEING ON THE TEAM AND GOING THROUGH THIS, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TO TALK WITH THEM HERE IN THE LOCKER ROOM, LET THEM SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES ON HOW THEY’RE DOING, AND CONTINUE TO COACH EVERY PLAYER FOR THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, THE ONES THAT THAT COME IN EACH AND EVERY DAY AND THAT ARE WILLING TO BE COACHED AND THEY ARE JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHERE, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHAT I DO EACH AND EVERY DAY. COACH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING SPECIFICALLY TO KEEP PEOPLE DIALED IN? IT’S BEEN A WILD WEEK WITH YOU CLINCH THE EAST AND THEN YOU HAD THE PLAYERS GETTING SOME TROUBLE OFF THE FIELD. AND NOW THIS WEEKEND COMING UP, HOW DO YOU KEEP PEOPLE DIALED? WELL, IT’S IT’S PART OF MY JOB IS TO HAVE A MESSAGE AND TO CLEARLY DEFINE WHAT THE OBJECTIVE IS FOR THE DAY. TODAY, OBVIOUSLY WE HAD SOME RED ZONE MOVED THE FIELD OUR NORMAL FRIDAY, AND I SHOW THEM THE CLIPS AND AND TEACH THEM TRY TO STAY AS CONSISTENT AS POSSIBLE. MIKE WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE FOR THE TEAM GOING INTO THIS FINAL REGULAR SEASON GAME? AS YOU KNOW, PLAYOFFS DO START NEXT WEEK, BUT IS THERE A SPECIFIC MESSAGE TO THE TEAM WITH THIS ONE, THIS FINAL REGULAR SEASON GAME? I THINK IT WOULD BE THE SAME ONE. I TOLD YOU IT WAS ON WEDNESDAY. WE’RE GOING TO PRACTICE TO IMPROVE, AND WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED. SO IF I DIDN’T CHANGE FROM WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY, WE TALKED TO ZACH A LITTLE BIT YESTERDAY ABOUT QUINN EWERS. WHAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU? I SAW AN ENERGY AT THE TAMPA BAY GAME. I SAW A YOUTHFUL ENERGY. YOU KNOW, A GUY THAT’S TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIS OPPORTUNITY. AND AGAIN, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PUT YOUNGER PLAYERS IN THERE, ESPECIALLY QUARTERBACKS, YOU SEE THEM GETTING UP AND CELEBRATING. AND HE HAD A BIG SCRAMBLE AT THE END OF THE GAME. AND FIVE MINUTES IT WAS A FIRST DOWN, A BIG PLAY FOR HIM. YOU KNOW A LOT OF ENERGY. YOU KNOW SEEMS TO HAVE A GOOD COMMAND OF THE OPERATION. THERE’S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS WITH THAT. WITH THAT OFFENSE, THE THE SHIFTS, THE MOTIONS, THE JET MOTIONS, THE BALL HANDLING. YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT JUST STANDARD. HE’S UNDER CENTER. HE’S IN A GUN. HE’S IN THE PISTOL. AND THEN BEING ABLE TO EXECUTE THE PLAY ACTION AND THE BOOT GAME. SO I THINK HE’S GOTTEN OFF TO A GOOD START. WHAT ARE THE CONSIDERATIONS YOU HAVE TO MAKE AS A DEFENSE WHEN DECIDING HOW TO HANDLE MOTION? WELL, IT’S BASED ON COVERAGE AND BASED ON LOCATION OF PLAYERS AND WHERE THEY GET TO. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S JUST A LOT OF THAT DEPENDS ON THE COVERAGE THAT YOU’RE IN. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU START WITH MAN AND THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE. AND THEN IT’S SPLIT SAFETY AND IT’S POST SAFETY ZONE. AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BUMP THINGS OR YOU KNOW, RUN THE NICKEL. AND YOU KNOW SO A LOT OF TEAMS YOU KNOW I’D SAY SOMETIMES IT’S THE SAME EACH WEEK AND SOMETIMES IT’S A DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER YOU KEEP THE NICKEL TO THE FIELD AND SOME GUYS LOCK THEM IN AND SOME TEAMS TRAVEL THEM INTO THE NICKEL OR INTO THE BOUNDARY, YOU KNOW, THAT’S KIND OF WHAT YOU WORK THROUGH IN THE OFFSEASON. AND THEN BASED ON GAME PLAN, YOU MAY MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS ALONG THOSE LINES. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLD STRATEGY OF, WE’RE GOING TO KEEP OUR NUMBER ONE CORNER AND HAVE HIM TRAVEL. YOU KNOW, WITH THE NUMBER ONE RECEIVER, IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAPPENS LESS. YEAH, IT’S JUST HARD. YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST OFFENSES HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH. JUST DON’T STAND OUT THERE AND PUT THEM OVER THERE UNDER THE BOUNDARY. AND LET YOU, YOU KNOW, COVER THEM. IT’S SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN’T. I WOULD SAY MORE TIMES THAN NOT IT DOESN’T. THEY WILL MOVE PLAYERS AROUND, MOVE THEM OFF THE BALL MOTION. YOU KNOW, AND AND TEAMS AND OFFENSES HAVE GOTTEN REALLY GOOD OF HOW THEY MOTION WHERE THE SNAP POINT IS THE QUARTERBACK’S MANUFACTURED A SNAP POINT ON THIS SIDE OF THE CENTER. ON THE OTHER SIDE, STACKED OR ALL THE WAY OUT. SO THOSE ARE ALL DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU GO THROUGH. YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH TO TO TAYLOR’S QUESTION ABOUT THE MOTION AND ADJUSTING. BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THE MATCHUP AND WHEN YOU CAN, YOU OBVIOUSLY WOULD LIKE TO. AND THEN OTHER TIMES WHERE YOU CAN’T MIKE WITH ALL THE 11 TEAMS FROM THIS DRAFT CLASS BEING ACTIVE ON THE 53 MAN ROSTER, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, LIKE HOW IMPORTANT IS TO BUILD THE BUILD THE TEAM, RESHAPING THE TEAM THROUGH THE DRAFT VERSUS SIGNING FREE AGENT, AND HOW THOSE TWO METHODS OF COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER? YEAH, I THINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THE DRAFT IS TO BE ABLE TO. AT EVERY LEVEL, ADD TO THE ROSTER RIGHT STARTERS, ROLE, PLAYERS, DEPTH, SPECIAL TEAMS, PLAYERS, DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYERS. AT SOME CAPACITY. BUT THEN JUST TO TRY TO IMPROVE THEM AND DEVELOP THEM AND YOU KNOW, AND THEN THERE’S ANSWERS IN FREE AGENCY TOO. I THINK THERE’S A FINE LINE. BUT WE OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT AND MAKE SMART DECISIONS AND BRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN AND DRAFT THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT AT THE RIGHT TIME AND HAVE A VISION FOR THEM AND BE ABLE TO HELP THEM REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. MIKE, HOW IS ALEX ALLSTON LOOKED THROUGHOUT PRACTICE THIS WEEKEND? ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO ACTIVATE HIM FOR THE AGAIN? WE’LL SEE HOW HE FEELS TOMORROW. I THINK THAT IT WAS GOOD TO SEE HIM HAVE A WEEK OF WORK AND I WOULD SAY IT’S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, IN HIS ROLE WHERE HE WAS COMING FROM AS A BACKUP CORNER. BUT THEN THE SPECIAL TEAMS JUST TRYING TO EVALUATE THAT AND WHERE THAT MAY BE WITH HIS RETURN TO PLAY SOMETIMES AGAIN, WE CAN’T HAVE PADS AT THIS POINT IN TIME OF THE YEAR. SO YOU HAVE TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, JUST WORK ON IT. YOU KNOW, IT’S A GUNNER AND HE’S A GUY THAT DOESN’T HAVE PADS ON. AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE JUST TRY TO, YOU KNOW, GET CREATIVE WITH THAT. AND SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE’RE WANT TO SEE. AND, YOU KNOW WE’LL SEE HOW HE FEELS TOMORROW AND THEN GO FROM THERE. BUT IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE HIM BACK. MIKE, WHO WERE SOME OF THE STAFF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOOKING AHEAD TO GET YOU A HEAD START ON NEXT WEEK, REGARDLESS OF WHO THE OPPONENT IS. WHAT ARE THEY BEEN DOING THIS WEEK? WELL, I MEAN, I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T HAVE ANY IDEA. I MEAN, YOU HAVE A YOU CAN LOOK AT PERCENTAGES. YOU KNOW, I THINK I’M CONFIDENT THAT WE’LL BE READY FOR WHOEVER WE PLAY AND WE’LL HAVE ALL THE GAMES AND THE BREAKDOWN AND, BUT, YOU KNOW, DON’T WANT TO START GUESSING YOUR FINAL ANYTHING. HEY. YEP. ANY PLANS ON PLAYING FOXBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL TO OPEN NEXT SEASON? THAT’S BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION THIS WEEK AS WELL. ON A LIGHTER NOTE, THAT ONE’S BEEN AROUND SINCE I PLAYED HERE, SO ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT FOXBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM I AM WILLING TO DO. AND SO MAYBE NEXT YEAR WE CAN WE CAN TIE IN A SCRIMMAGE BEFORE OUR STADIUM SCRIMMAGE, OR WE’LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING CREATIVE, I’M SURE. GIVE ME AND STRETCH A YEAR AND WE’LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING. ANY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS? I GOT YOU NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION. JUST WIN AS MANY GAMES AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. THANKS, GUYS. THANKS, MIKE. ALL RIGHT. YOU ARE LISTENING TO COACH MIKE VRABEL THERE ADDRESSING REPORTERS JUST TWO DAYS OUT FROM THE TEAM’S LAST REGULAR SEASON GAME AGAINST THE DOLPHINS. NOW, WE HEARD REPORTERS ASK MULTIPLE QUESTIONS. SOME OF THEM WERE HARD TO HEAR. BUT OF COURSE, ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS WAS ASKED ABOUT HOW THE PLAYER, STEFON DIGGS AND CHRISTIAN MOORE ARE DOING AMID ALL OF THESE ALLEGATIONS AND THE CHARGES THAT THEY’RE FACING. WE HEARD COACH VRABEL SAY, LET THEM SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. AND HE SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE TO COACH EVERY PLAYER TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY. HE ALSO MENTIONED, OF COURSE, SOME PLAYERS ON THE INJURED LIST, THAT SOME OF THEM WERE STILL PRACTICING ON THE FIELD AND GETTING READY FOR THE GAME, AND THAT HE’S CONFIDENT THAT NEXT WEEK, WHEN THEY START GETTING READY FOR, OF COURSE, THE PLAYOFFS, THAT THEY’LL BE READY AND THEY’RE CONFIDENT TO PLAY WHOEVER. OF COURSE, WE’LL HAVE MUCH MORE COVERAGE. OUR SPORTS REPORTERS WERE IN THE ROOM. WE’LL HEAR FRO
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks to media ahead of Miami game amid Diggs, Barmore assault allegations
Updated: 2:13 PM EST Jan 2, 2026
New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel is speaking at his weekly Friday press conference ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins.In what has been a newsworthy week for the organization, superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs and standout defensive tackle Christian Barmore have both been accused of assault.”I’ll let them speak for themselves and how they’re doing,” Vrabel said of both players. “I will continue to coach every player to the best of my ability.” Diggs has been summoned to court for allegedly attacking his personal chef over a pay dispute in early December. His attorney said Diggs denies the allegations and called them “unsubstantiated.”Barmore is accused of assaulting the mother of his child in a Mansfield home in August. His attorney said evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place.Diggs will be arraigned in January and Barmore will be arraigned in February.Coaches and teammates have rallied around both players and said, in part, they are focused on Sunday’s game while the legal process plays out.A spokesperson for the NFL said both men are eligible to play at this time and both matters are under review by the league’s personal conduct policy.The New England Patriots said they’re standing by both players, with a statement about Diggs that said, “We support Stefon.”Fans had mixed reactions when asked about both players.Kickoff against Miami is at 4:25 p.m. at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.New England (13-3) currently holds the #2 seed in the AFC.If the Patriots win and the Denver Broncos lose to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, New England would receive the #1 seed and get a first-round bye along with home-field advantage for the playoffs.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —
New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel is speaking at his weekly Friday press conference ahead of Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins.
In what has been a newsworthy week for the organization, superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs and standout defensive tackle Christian Barmore have both been accused of assault.
“I’ll let them speak for themselves and how they’re doing,” Vrabel said of both players. “I will continue to coach every player to the best of my ability.”
Diggs has been summoned to court for allegedly attacking his personal chef over a pay dispute in early December. His attorney said Diggs denies the allegations and called them “unsubstantiated.”
Barmore is accused of assaulting the mother of his child in a Mansfield home in August. His attorney said evidence will demonstrate that no criminal conduct took place.
Diggs will be arraigned in January and Barmore will be arraigned in February.
Coaches and teammates have rallied around both players and said, in part, they are focused on Sunday’s game while the legal process plays out.
A spokesperson for the NFL said both men are eligible to play at this time and both matters are under review by the league’s personal conduct policy.
The New England Patriots said they’re standing by both players, with a statement about Diggs that said, “We support Stefon.”
Fans had mixed reactions when asked about both players.
Kickoff against Miami is at 4:25 p.m. at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
New England (13-3) currently holds the #2 seed in the AFC.
If the Patriots win and the Denver Broncos lose to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, New England would receive the #1 seed and get a first-round bye along with home-field advantage for the playoffs.