New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said take it up with the NFL.
But the NFL has no comment.
And so it goes in the shadow-fine saga involving Vrabel and two other head coaches who were fined $250,000 apiece, according to multiple reports, for their behavior toward officials.
Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles' Nick Sirianni were the other coaches fined, per the reports. The reports also said the fines could be rescinded with good behavior, since the punishments were held in "abeyance", a legal term for something put on hold.
Following the Patriots' Week 7 loss on "Thursday Night Football" Oct. 22 to the Chicago Bears, Vrabel had
a few days off before his weekly Monday news conference, affording the media their first real opportunity to ask about the reported penalty.
"I don't have any comment. Those things are supposed to be held in strict confidence, confidentiality, so I'm not going to comment," Vrabel said.
Vrabel repeated that he could not comment.
"I think it's best just to talk to the league," Vrabel said. "They seem to have plenty to say already about it."
The NFL had no comment when reached by USA TODAY Sports Monday evening.
Vrabel joked about the reported, potential $250,000 fine earlier Monday during his weekly appearance on local Boston radio station WEEI.
"No, I just tell them everything is a great call. 'I thought you were gonna miss that one, but you got it. You nailed it. You got it,'" Vrabel said while making a clapping motion, according to NBC Sports Boston. "Every time I go to cuss at 'em, I'm like, 'Ugh, Christmas. We got Christmas, we got holidays, we got kids.' I just say, 'That's a great call.'"
During his news conference, Vrabel added that officiating is the second-hardest job on the field – behind actually playing.
"They do a great job, and it's not easy," Vrabel said. "We have to understand they're part of the game, and I think that they do, like everybody else, the best that they possibly can. There's going to be bad calls by coaches, there's going to be bad plays by players, and then once in a while, an official's going to miss one. Again, how we respond to those things is critical. So, I enjoy when they have conversations with me and can explain exactly what it is that they saw or they follow up with another official, and as long as I get an explanation about what they saw, then I have to be okay with that. I would say for the most part I am.
"I like the ones that are willing to communicate and say, 'Hey, this is what I saw,' they do it, they're decisive about it and they're confident. We can always go back and second guess, but it's not an easy job and I think they do really well.
The NFL has prioritized sportsmanship from everybody on the field. Two referees were suspended this season after interactions involving players.
“It’s on all of us,” Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president for football operations, told USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell earlier this month. “We owe it to the game. Every individual – every player, coach, official – should be afforded dignity and respect as a professional.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriots' Mike Vrabel has blunt response to reported $250,000 fine: 'Talk to the league'
