Key facts
- Super Bowl LX featured the Seahawks and the Patriots
- Tom Brady said before the game he did not have a ‘dog in the fight’
- Mike Vrabel, current Patriots head coach and Brady’s former teammate, said he was not bothered by the remark
- Vrabel acknowledged Brady is pursuing a new role and likely consulted with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald before the game
- Brady is a part-owner of the Raiders, giving him a potential financial interest in the Seahawks winning
The remark and the context
Before Super Bowl LX between the Seahawks and the Patriots, Tom Brady, a former New England legend, told media that he did not have a “dog in the fight” regarding the matchup. The comment rankled Patriots fans and some current and former Patriots players. Mike Vrabel, currently the head coach of the Patriots and a former teammate of Brady, addressed the remark in an interview with WEEI on Friday.
Vrabel’s response
Vrabel said he was not bothered by Brady’s statement. According to NBC Sports, Vrabel acknowledged that Brady has made clear he is moving on to a new role. “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,'” Vrabel told the outlet. Vrabel framed the comment as Brady simply signaling his transition away from the Patriots organization.
The deeper connection
Vrabel was also asked whether he believed Brady had consulted with Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald before the game, following Macdonald’s earlier comment to Dan Patrick that he had spoken to someone with “some conflict of interest” before the matchup. Vrabel said “probably” when asked if Brady talked to Macdonald. However, Vrabel stressed this was not the reason the Patriots lost. “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,” he said.
Brady’s actual stake in the outcome
According to NBC Sports, Brady is an owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and therefore had a financial incentive in the Super Bowl result. Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who has ties to Brady, is slated to join the Raiders as an offensive coordinator. A Seahawks victory would benefit Kubiak’s profile and, by extension, the Raiders organization. Brady is also in competition with the Patriots as a team owner, meaning he may have had more interest in the outcome than his public “no dog in the fight” comment suggested.
Sources
Featured photo: Chipermc via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)