Mike Felger disappointed in Boston’s coverage of Mike Vrabel: ‘We’re a little soft’

Mike Vrabel’s relationship with Dianna Russini is a national story, but Mike Felger believes Boston’s media could do a better job of getting answers.

Felger joined this week’s episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast, where he discussed a variety of topics, including Bill Belichick’s changing legacy, The Sports Hub vs. WEEI, and Mike Vrabel. And while Felger has maintained Vrabel’s alleged relationship was a big story in Boston from day one, not every local outlet has covered it with the same persistence.

Boston reporters have had limited opportunities to speak with Vrabel in recent weeks. But have outlets made the most of those opportunities? Has the local media in Boston done a good job of trying to get answers from Vrabel about his alleged relationship with a national NFL insider who has since resigned from The Athletic?

“No,” Felger answered without hesitation. “And I don’t blame the Patriots reporters, because that is a tough spot if you’re a beat guy that covers that team. You gotta go down there =and face the coach every day, and you’ve got to talk to the players and the coaches every day. So, if the beat guy himself doesn’t want to be that guy to say, ‘Hey Mike, how about that extramarital affair?’ I get that. What has disappointed me is the outlets. If a newspaper doesn’t want their Patriots reporter to go down there and ask the questions, I get it. You want to protect the beat guy to maintain that relationship. Then send somebody else! Send somebody from the lifestyle section, send somebody from the news section.”

Felger used the example that if this story were happening in New York, it wouldn’t be Paul Schwartz or Brian Costello doing the digging for the New York Post; it would be a reporter from Page Six. But the Boston Herald and Boston Globe are without a Page Six equivalent.

For 19 years, Felger covered the Patriots for the Boston Herald before launching his radio career, and he admits he wouldn’t be the one asking Vrabel questions about his relationship with Russini. But when he was at the Herald, they had gossip columnists who would have more likely been sent to ask those questions.

“The outlets don’t even have the guy or the girl or the columnist or the reporter anymore to go cover it. And that’s what disappoints me the most. Do you want to sell the newspaper? Do you want people to watch the news? These outlets and these mediums are struggling, do you want to sell the newspaper or not? I sort of wonder if they even want to sell it anymore, because it doesn’t feel that way a lot of times.”

While Vrabel’s media availability has been limited in recent weeks, Felger noted that outlets have had enough notice to send a reporter to ask questions if they wanted the story. But he’s not sure whether traditional Boston media outlets are interested in chasing stories and headlines anymore.

“It’s predictable,” Felger said. “It’s kind of sad, and I don’t know if it speaks to Boston as a market that we’re a little soft, maybe. But I think it speaks to more of the de-staffing of local traditional media outlets…it’s also just not the mindset…I don’t know if these places have the same mentality. I think they’re just hanging on for dear life and have sort of dropped the thing about getting the story. And that’s sad. That’s sad to me as someone who values and still deals in traditional media.”

Listen to the full episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast featuring Mike Felger by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.