FOXBOROUGH – While Bill Belichick’s reported ban of Patriots scouts from UNC is viewed as part of his feud with owner Robert Kraft, the move largely impacts Mike Vrabel and the personnel department.
Belichick is hindering Eliot Wolf and Ryan Cowden’s staff from doing their job in scouting draft-eligible players.
Vrabel’s reaction?
“That’s an individual choice,” Vrabel said, referring to Belichick. “We’ll cross that bridge when we start looking at players.”
It’s common practice for colleges to allow NFL scouts to attend practices to watch players for draft evaluation purposes.
“Why would we let them in our home after how he’s been treated since he left? We will help our players, but being treated fairly is a two-way street,” a UNC athletic source told the Boston Herald.
The Patriots have dipped into the UNC pool during the draft with quarterback Drake Maye the most notable selection the past few years.
Vrabel, who is preparing the Patriots for their Week 1 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, then provided more context regarding his team’s ability to scout the Tar Heels players.
“We’re going to focus on our football team. I think that’s their prerogative to make the decisions they feel like are best for them,” he said. “I think we’ll have to find other ways to get the information for any players we want to look at, at North Carolina.”
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