Vrabel addresses Patriots’ disciplinary action against Christian Barmore
Barmore was benched for the first quarter of a win over the Browns, and Vrabel addressed the matter in his postgame presser.
Christian Barmore sat for the entire first quarter of the Patriots' win over the Browns Sunday. Head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the matter when he was asked about it in his postgame press conference, and confirmed that it was a disciplinary matter with the star defensive tackle.
"I had to make a decision," Vrabel said. "My job is to protect the team, so when there's actions that I don't feel like are commensurate with what we want to do here, I've got to make a decision, and we move on."
Vrabel didn't get into any details. The situation remains vague on what exactly Barmore did that wasn't in line with what the Patriots "want to do," and forced his head coach to make a decision to "protect the team." Per Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Barmore declined to speak to reporters about it in the locker room after the game and left before the end of the media access period. No cryptic tweet, either, which counts as "no news is good news" in this day & age. Before the Patriots made it to the locker room, Barmore and Vrabel greeted each other and embraced, as the head coach has done with the whole team after games this season.
The "seasons without a strange Christian Barmore incident" counter can stay at zero. Barmore had a brief run-in with law enforcement in Providence during a traffic stop last October, but avoided any further legal trouble. He later apologized publicly and took accountability for his actions (the statement appears to have been deleted from his social media). Barmore missed the entire 2024 season after suffering blood clots during training camp.
Barmore immediately entered the game in the second quarter and ended up playing 30 defensive snaps, second only to Milton Williams (36) among Patriots defensive tackles. He finished with a team-high six total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
The re-insertion of Barmore no doubt helped the Patriots defense slow down the Browns offense after allowing a touchdown on their first drive. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel's quick passing avoided sacks, but the Pats tackled better and logged eight total pass breakups in a 32-13 win that improved their record to 6-2 on the season.
Barmore is in just the first year of a four-year extension with the Patriots worth up to $83 million. The team is certainly hoping that this is a one-time issue with Barmore this season, and he can now re-focus going forward.
