A new report indicates that there were growing issues between Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans over the past year, but one particular incident is raising some eyebrows.
The Titans, specifically owner Amy Adams Strunk, were put off by Vrabel spending the team’s bye week in New England to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, according to Dianna Russini and Joe Rexrode of The Athletic.
Vrabel made a speech at that ceremony, which resurfaced after his firing, in which he told fans not to take the organization for granted, adding that “it’s not like this everywhere.”
Those comments raised eyebrows back in Tennessee, though Vrabel denied he was referring to the Titans in any way. Still, the entire incident did not sit well with Strunk, who let it “fester” without discussing it with her coach.
The report outlines communication issues that plagued Vrabel’s time with the team, which created a lingering sense at ownership level that Vrabel was not as committed to them as they were to him.
Vrabel went 54-45 in six seasons as Tennessee’s head coach. He is expected to be a hot commodity for teams seeking a new coach.
