The New England Patriots, fresh off their first Super Bowl appearance since 2019, are in headlines for reasons nobody wants to be.
Head coach Mike Vrabel, who returned to New England after one season working with his hometown Cleveland Browns, is currently under fire for a rumored off-field scandal with longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
Amidst the mess, one of Vrabel’s best players, star quarterback and former UNC standout Drake Maye, is vouching for his head coach.
“I mean, he’s our head coach,” Maye said Wednesday. “I think he’s done a great job of talking to us and talking us through it. I’m just looking forward to getting back to work and getting ready. “I know he’s got the right mindset, and I know he’s a great human being,” Maye added. “I think he’s…like I said, I love playing for him.”
Maye, who came off his best NFL season and first as a full-time starter, is exactly the type of player Vrabel wants. Maye finished Top-4 in NFL with 4,394 passing yards and 31 touchdowns a season ago, finishing runner-up to Matt Stafford in MVP voting, making it clear he’s the franchise player Vrabel needs to continue building around.
Maye showed promised in his rookie 2024 season under another former Patriots player, Jerod Mayo, but struggled with his teammates to a third-straight losing season. Vrabel led the Tennessee Titans to three straight playoff appearances, so he proved a natural choice for coaching New England.
Regardless of who Maye’s coach is this fall, whether Vrabel or someone else, the 2022 ACC Rookie and Player of the Year has a bright future ahead. He wants Vrabel to stay, which is exactly what the 3-time Super Bowl champion needs right now.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Drake Maye vouches for Mike Vrabel as head coach amidst scandal
