Why Mike Vrabel Has No Hard Feelings About Tom Brady’s Switzerland Super Bowl Remark

Tom Brady has been called an all-time great quarterback countless times. He has also been called a coward at least once, dating back to earlier this year.

The Patriots legend infamously refused to pledge support to his old team ahead of New England’s Super Bowl LX matchup against the Seahawks in February and instead sat on the fence, saying that he had “no dog in the fight.” That remark didn’t sit well at all with some current and former Patriots players, considering the fact that Brady once declared that he was a “Patriot for life.”

New England coach Mike Vrabel isn’t holding a grudge over what his former teammate said, though.

Vrabel addressed Brady’s “no dog in the fight” comment for the first time on Boston sports radio’s WEEI 93.7 FM on Friday morning and insisted he and Brady were good.

“No [the comment didin’t bother me], I mean clearly Tom’s gone out of his way to make it known that he’s trying to, you know—he has a new job and a new role, and, you know, it is really what it is,” Vrabel said. “Tom’s a friend, he’ll always be a friend. He was a former teammate, but, I mean, he’s made it clear, like, ‘I’m doing something new now.’”

"When he (Tom Brady) said, HE DIDN'T HAVE A DOG IN THE FIGHT, in the Super Bowl, did that bother you?" Patriots HC Mike Vrabel joins live! Does Vrabel think Brady spoke to Seattle HC Mike Macdonald? #fyp #NFL #news #Patriots pic.twitter.com/PqWZjiD0Jf
— WEEI (@WEEI) August 14, 2026

Vrabel was also asked on-air whether he thought Brady spoke to Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald before the Super Bowl tilt.

“Probably, he hired his offensive coordinator [Klint Kubiak],” Vrabel said. “I mean, that’s not why we lost the game. We talked to a lot of people, and, you know, there’s a lot of film, and it’s not why we lost the game. I mean, I’m sure they talked.”

Macdonald stirred up rumors earlier this offseason when he told Dan Patrick that the Seahawks got help from someone with a “conflict of interest” during Seattle’s preparations for the Super Bowl. Seattle ended up beating New England somewhat handily in the 29-13 win (the Seahawks were up 19-0 at the start of the fourth quarter).

Tom Brady rightfully received plenty of backlash over his “no dog in the fight” comments about Pats-Seahawks Super Bowl

Vrabel and Brady go way back to their Patriots-playing days, teaming up in Foxborough from 2001 to ‘08 during the franchise’s more successful era. The current Pats coach, who used to play linebacker, even caught 10 career touchdowns from Brady, a pair of which came in two separate Super Bowl games.

Given Brady’s storied history in New England, it made a lot of sense as to why former and current players and much of the Pats fanbase were upset about his neutral comments. Ex-Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork called it “bullcrap.” Asante Samuel said Brady was “hating on Drake Maye and Vrabel.”

But as Vrabel himself notes, Brady has moved on. The lock-in Hall of Famer retired for good in 2023 and then jumped into the booth as Fox’s lead color commentator alongside Kevin Burkhardt, signing a 10-year, $375 million deal with the network. Brady also personally holds a 5% stake in the Raiders, and his role as minority owner extends beyond just the money—he helped handpick Fernando Mendoza as the Raiders’ quarterback of the future, was in the house for Mendoza’s preseason debut Thursday night and will no doubt continue to play an active part in the rookie’s development in the league.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about Brady’s wishy-washy Super Bowl stance. Some may hate him for it. Others may view his legacy differently. But Vrabel, for his part, has accepted that Brady is no longer as connected to the Pats organization as he once was, and he’s totally O.K. with that.

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