“Good Morning. I’m going to give you the rules that I’m going to ask you to abide by, OK?” On that note, Mike Vrabel started his first speech as he tried to build a new culture in New England. Unlike anything Foxborough has ever witnessed, Vrabel made sure his first impression was a lasting one for his players. The new Patriots boss has set some ground rules that his players need to follow from now on, like a routine. Otherwise, they will have to face Vrabel’s wrath. However, it seems a former Patriot is not on board with Vrabel’s way of setting a culture in New England.
Retweeting a now-deleted viral speech of Vrabel trying to send a message to his players, 2-time Super Bowl Champion TE Christian Fauria wasn’t happy. He didn’t see Vrabel’s requests as a way to set a standard where Fauria once won two Lombardis. “So, asking employees to be on time, then announcing that you actually get 4 or 5 chances to be late, then we “may” do something and asking grown men to take off their hoodies and make sure their phones are on silent? This is not culture building. This is level 1 of how to be an adult and work in a professional environment,” Fauria said in a scathing tweet.
Judging by the 5-step Patriots revolution plan Vrabel has in mind, Fauria is probably right in his stance. Vrabel’s first rule starts with respect. “One is to respect the team. Respect the football team and the people that are here, OK?” Vrabel said. Well, respect is understandable as players need to look after each other, stand for the values your franchise represents, and care for those around you, especially the staff members. So, there’s nothing wrong here. But Vrabel’s next rule was kind of you don’t see anywhere else.
So, asking employees to be on time, then announcing that you actually get 4 or 5 chances to be late, then we “may” do something and asking grown men to take off their hoodies and make sure their phones are on silent?
This is not culture building this is level 1 of how to be an… https://t.co/CVaxnxZvjp
— Christian Fauria (@christianfauria) April 9, 2025
“The second one is…Just pull your hood down while we’re in a meeting. That’s all I ask. When we’re in a meeting. Just pull your hood down and we go from there,” Vrabel mused. No hoodies are allowed in New England, at least whenever you are in a meeting with the boss. Now, the third one was also a base-level rule that professionals already follow. Still, Vrabel wanted to send a clear message, adding, “Be on time.” But if you can’t be on time, Vrabel also gave a solution. “You would just call and communicate. All you got to do is say, Hey something came up, OK? I’m going to be a little bit late.” Communication needs to be on point.
However, it doesn’t mean you get to be late every time. Vrabel also wanted his players to know what would happen if someone misused this leverage. “Now, after about four or five times, that starts wearing off, OK? This is just a once-in-a-while,” Vrabel said with an authoritative tone. Next! Then there were phone rules. “We’ve all got cell phones..Just leave the cell phone in your bag..We just turn it off or put it on silent and move on. Leave it in your bag,” Vrabel added. No cell phones are allowed anywhere in meetings or even the weight rooms; Vrabel has made it clear. Last one?
The final rule in his list was no maids, butlers or valets at Patriots Palace. “The training staff, the equipment staff, the kitchen staff, these people are here to do what? To help you. They aren’t here to be your valet, to be your housekeeper, to be your maid, to be your butler.” Vrabel said, putting down the hammer and asking for utmost respect from everyone. However, moments after this video started trending, the Patriots took it down. The reason? An NFL insider had a theory.
Patriots’ scrambling to save Mike Vrabel’s revolution before it even begins
Jerod Mayo’s one-and-done season left the Patriots in a bad spot. At the back end of his time in New England, Mayo seemingly also lost the support of the Patriots Nation. Some were already booing him, asking the front office to end his misery. So, having left the Patriots in a bad spot culture-wise. Vrabel obviously had to start from ground zero. Maybe that’s why he thought about establishing the culture from some base-level rules.
But that didn’t go down too well in some eyes. Fauria may have already expressed his displeasure with Vrabel’s way of conduct. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer feels the reason is simple: why the Pats removed Vrabel’s speech. “I bet it’s because Mike doesn’t want to make it about himself. I bet Mike saw that and said, That’s corny as hell. We’re putting it up there and making a big deal out of something I don’t want to make a big deal out of.” Well, the damage is already. Vrabel may have only wanted his players to know he wanted them to behave.
However, his message didn’t come right to some out there. Obviously, he wouldn’t want to make it about himself. All he wants is the Patriots to win. Seeing fans and media making it a big deal. He removed it before it blew up even more. Now, only time will tell if the Patriots are going to react to Vrabel’s message. Otherwise, it could just end up being called a PR stunt.
The post “Not Culture Building”: Mike Vrabel’s 5 Step Patriots Revolution Met With Strong Reaction From 2X Super Bowl Champ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
