Training camp has started for head coach Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots. The Patriots are trying to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. The team has undergone a big rebuild since the departure of Tom Brady, bringing in several big pieces through the NFL draft, including former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL draft.
Vrabel is starting his first year as the head coach of the Patriots, and he is trying to bring a level of intensity to the team. While intensity is important, on Wednesday, it escalated to an altercation between running back TreVeyon Henderson and a Washington Commanders defender. The conflict occurred during a daily practice that did not allow cameras. Vrabel jumped in to break up the altercation, but appeared to walk away bleeding from his cheek.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel jumped into a scrum of players at Wednesday’s practice with the Commanders and came out with a bloodied cheek.
No players were ejected from practice and it was resolved quickly. pic.twitter.com/fAaDD3Cu9b
— ESPN (@espn) August 6, 2025
While practice continued as normal, several players were asked about the altercation after practice. Quarterback Drake Maye made a comparison to U.S. President Donald Trump when discussing the incident.
“Yeah, I saw it. Yeah. Someone said it was like the Trump gunshot wound,” Drake Maye said. “So I was laughing at that. I think you saw he was breaking down the huddle. I’m not even sure what happened, when it happened, but he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll see it on film.”
The Incident With Mike Vrabel Occurred During a Joint Practice Between the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders
The incident head coach mike Vrabel needed to break up occurred during a joint practice between the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders. The two teams are scheduled to play in a preseason game on Friday, but held a joint practice together on Wednesday. Vrabel spoke earlier in the day on Wednesday about his approach to the joint practice.
“The goal is just to be able to put the identity out on the field against another team, to put the fundamentals that we put out there, the installation, to be able to do it against another defense, to be able to adjust to different play styles of players, players that maybe are longer or quicker or stronger, just different play styles of each player throughout this league,” Vrabel said.
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