What Patriots’ Mike Vrabel said about TreVeyon Henderson defending Jaden Ivey

As the New England Patriots prepare for the start of the 2026 NFL season, running back TreVeyon Henderson made headlines for something that happened off the field. The Patriots running back would defend basketball player Jaden Ivey after being released by the Chicago Bulls, due to controversial comments that were made, garnering the attention of head coach Mike Vrabel.

Ivey has been under fire ever since he live-streamed himself on Instagram, where he would preach about his religion and faith, though he also made insensitive comments targeting the LGBTQ community. In particular, Ivey called out the NBA for honoring Pride Month, saying that the league is ‘celebrating unrighteousness.'

This would lead to Henderson taking to X, formerly Twitter, to post a quote from the Bible in Matthew 5:10, reading, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Vrabel would be asked about the situation, as he was asked about toeing the line between conduct being detrimental to the team and expressing one's opinions, per Andrew Callahan.

“I think there is a fine line…I love TreVeyon, I love the person,” Vrabel said. “He cares deeply about our team, He cares deeply about his faith, He cares deeply about his family, his wife, the people in our building. And so I want them to be able to express what they believe in their heart and in their mind, but also want to make sure that they're educated…”

Patriots' Mike Vrabel speaks more about TreVeyon Henderson

Vrabel would then be asked after if he would have a conversation with Henderson or with the team about this type of subject, saying  that he ‘usually tries to.'

“We just want to educate them to (we're) never going to tell them how to feel. (We) certainly want to make sure that they understand that their actions represent something more than just themselves,” Vrabel said.

At any rate, it remains to be seen if Vrabel and Henderson have a conversation about it, with the main focus for them being taking the field next season after losing in the Super Bowl.