If you’ve ever listened to a press conference involving Mike Vrabel, you’ve likely noticed that the New England Patriots head coach typically begins the sessions by asking a specific female reporter how she’s doing before offering her the first question.
That isn’t a coincidence.
In a feature for ESPN that ran ahead of Vrabel’s first game against the team he used to coach, the Tennessee Titans, the ex-NFL linebacker explained his unique approach to dealing with the media as a head coach. And that included a tradition he started during his time with the Titans, in which he would begin his media availabilities by singling out Teresa Walker of the Associated Press, who was then given the first question of each press conference.
“This a tough business, I think, for females, for women. You know, breaking in,” Vrabel explained to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “And when I got to Tennessee, I was trying to get to know everybody. And there’s Teresa, and she was plugging away and she’s always right there in front, super attentive. So I just figured out of respect for her, I’d give her the first question and it kind of stuck.”
The tradition followed Vrabel to New England, where he has implemented a similar setup with MassLive’s Karen Guregian, who also covered him during his playing days with the Patriots. The ESPN feature even showed the former Ohio State star noting Guregian’s absence following the Patriots’ victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football in Week 5, as she doesn’t typically cover Patriots away games.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Guregian said of the comment. “But then I thought about it and I said, ‘of course he’s going to bust me for not being there.”
Both Walker and Guregian are clearly appreciative of the gesture, with Walker noting the importance of journalists maintaining real relationships with the subjects they cover. As for Vrabel, the feature provided a unique look at the human side of the head coach currently at the center of one of the NFL’s biggest turnarounds this season.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.