Just days after New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel showed up to the podium with a puppy, he was taking questions on a different topic – Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. Except it wasn’t asked by a reporter. The question was posed by Olivia, the 8-year-old daughter of the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
“How was Taylor’s wedding?” Olivia asked.
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“It was good,” Vrabel said, with a noticeable boost in energy. “Thank you. It was a fairy tale, or whatever she says in that song, but thanks for asking. You a fan of hers?”
Olivia said yes.
The question represented a break in pattern from Vrabel, who typically gives the first question to MassLive’s Karen Guregian.
“Karen, you might get trumped this morning,” Vrabel said as he approached the podium. “Olivia, welcome. How have you been? It’s good to see you. Did you have a question today?”
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Mike Vrabel’s career has taken him from standout player to head coach, with stops across multiple eras of the NFL.
See the moments that chart Vrabel’s path through the years and onto the sidelines.
Above, Mike Vrabel speaks as he is introduced as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Billie Weiss, Getty Images)
1 / 18
See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Mike Vrabel’s career has taken him from standout player to head coach, with stops across multiple eras of the NFL.
See the moments that chart Vrabel’s path through the years and onto the sidelines.
Above, Mike Vrabel speaks as he is introduced as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Billie Weiss, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Linebacker Mike Vrabel #50 of the New England Patriots celebrates with this son after defeating the Carolina Panthers 32-29 inSuper Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004, in Houston, Texas.
(Donald Miralle, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots poses for his 2005 NFL headshot at photo day in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(NFL Photos, NFL via Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Mike Vrabel speaks as he is introduced as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Billie Weiss, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Line Backer Mike Vrabel #50 of the New England Patriots standing on the field looking on during the game against the Buffalo Bills at the Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots defeated the Bills 21-11.
(Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots reacts during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Linebacker Mike Vrabel #50 of the New England Patriots catches a two yard touchdown in the third quarter against cornerback Lito Sheppard #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Stadium on February 6, 2005, in Jacksonville, Florida.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
New England Patriots line backer Mike Vrabel celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter of Super Bowl XXXIX 06 February 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. The Patriots are leading 24-14 in the fourth quarter.
(ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Tony Fisher #40 of the Green Bay Packers runs the ball against Mike Vrabel #50 the New England Patriots during the second quarter on October 13, 2002, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Green Bay Packers beat the New England Patriots 28-10.
(Douglas McFadd, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots celebrates with Stefon Diggs #8 after a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Elsa, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots looks on during training camp at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center on August 13, 2025, in Eagan, Minnesota.
(David Berding, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots reacts against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 14, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(Rich Storry, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks with Drake Maye #10 prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 05, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York.
(Timothy T Ludwig, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Former player Mike Vrabel speaks during a New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony during halftime of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Maddie Meyer, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans looks on in the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on November 19, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida.
(Courtney Culbreath, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel runs on the field before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on January 07, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Wesley Hitt, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Will Levis #8 of the Tennessee Titans talks with Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium on January 07, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Justin Ford, Getty Images)
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See Mike Vrabel’s journey from Patriots standout to NFL head coach
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans looks during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium on September 17, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Johnnie Izquierdo, Getty Images)
Vrabel was one of the many notable names in attendance at the Swift-Kelce wedding on July 3. Few details of the event have emerged in the weeks since.
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Mike Vrabel, wife Jen attended Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding
He attended the wedding with his wife, Jen. A video captured by the New York Post’s Page Six showed them getting into a car ahead of the festivities. Vrabel was in a tuxedo while his wife was wearing a blue dress
This offseason has been a difficult one for the Vrabel family after the coach’s relationship with former The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini drew scrutiny after photos of the duo at an Arizona resort were published by the New York Post’s Page Six on April 7.
Vrabel initially called the photos “laughable” and denied any wrongdoing before changing his tune weeks later. The coach then admitted he had “difficult conversations” after the photos were released.
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“Those (conversations) have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said at an April 21 news conference. “We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. You never want to be the cause of a distraction.
“What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody – our fans, most importantly − will get the best version of me going forward.”
Vrabel stepped away from the team on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, electing to seek counseling before returning to the team shortly thereafter.
The coach, and the Patriots, are now looking to turn the page to focus on a team that was the Super Bowl runner-up last season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Vrabel attended Swift-Kelce wedding with his wife. It was ‘a fairy tale’
