Mike Vrabel. An airport. A shopping bag. And a whole lot of speculation.

Summary

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Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Mike Vrabel. An airport. A shopping bag. And a whole lot of speculation.
Date: April 28, 2026
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abaticola (312 Sports)

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Forward Progress, Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola examine the aftermath of the NFL Draft—both in terms of the Bears’ draft class and the declining TV ratings for the event. They also dive into the ongoing saga regarding Mike Vrabel’s personal and professional controversies, media insiders’ ethics, and the unsettling silence from national outlets like ESPN around one of the most-discussed scandal stories in the NFL. Balancing humorous takes with pointed criticism, the hosts explore what these stories mean for football’s culture and the business of sports media.

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1. NFL Draft: Ratings & Relevance

Discussion Points

• Decline in NFL Draft Viewership
  • Dan highlights underwhelming ratings: dropped from 13.6 million viewers to 13.2 million, which is lower than the weekly average for Thursday Night Football. (03:28)
  • Discussion of why the event may feel less compelling—questions about the timing (Thursday night), format, and general entertainment value.
  • Critique of the NFL’s inflated attendance figures: people are counted multiple times if they re-enter the event perimeter. (04:45)
  • Local impact: Pittsburgh’s local business prospects didn’t benefit; downtown described as a “ghost town.” (03:28)

Notable Quotes

• Matt (on Goodell as the draft centerpiece):

  “When Roger Goodell is like the main centerpiece of it to kick it off, it just, it makes it even less desirable to watch.” (02:40)

• Dan (on NFL Draft’s evolution):

  “For years was just a bunch of guys with their yellow pads... now it’s this giant thing... poverty porn and all of this idea, well, this person was raised in a shoebox by wolves and look at them now.” (05:31)

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2. Bears’ Draft: Sarcasm Meets Scrutiny

Discussion Points

• Bears Draft Review
  • Matt delivers a tongue-in-cheek review, claiming the Bears had “the greatest draft class... in the history of all NFL draft classes.” (06:18)
  • Sarcastic praise becomes a springboard for evaluating the team’s failure to target key needs: no high round edge rushers or offensive/defensive tackles. (09:55)
  • Both hosts plan to keep tabs on players at positions the Bears overlooked, especially those drafted by division rivals (Derrick Moore, Dominique Orange, Danny Dennis-Sutton). (07:55–09:59)
• Tracking Other Prospects
  • Matt intends to follow Skyler Bell (WR, Buffalo) and Emmanuel McNeil Warren (Cleveland), both considered steals by some pundits. (11:17)

Notable Quotes

• Matt (on tracking other teams’ picks):

  “Despite the fact that this is the greatest draft class ever made... all of us... thought, hey, there's a couple big needs that this team has. Edge rusher, getting pressure on the quarterback... and tackle, defensive tackle and offensive tackle. Yes. And none of those areas were addressed.” (09:33–09:59)

• Dan (on sarcasm and audience):

  “You presume there will be a recognition of sarcasm when there are enough stupid people that are like, what is he talking about? The best ever. No one's going to get it.” (12:01)

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3. Ty Simpson, “Secret Meetings,” and Draft Weirdness

Discussion Points

• Ty Simpson’s New Narrative
  • Simpson (Rams’ rookie QB) initially downplayed, then later described, “all kinds of secret Meetings” with Sean McVay pre-draft.
  • Mocking of the “secret” aspect: jokes about fake mustaches, trench coats, back-to-back café meetings. (14:04–16:07)
• Rams’ Odd Behavior
  • Both hosts agree: The Rams are being unnecessarily weird about Simpson, especially given his status as Stafford’s “apprentice.” Not worth the subterfuge. (16:07–16:19)

Notable Quote

• Dan:

  “All I know is the Rams are being weird, and the Rams have been weird since this started... It’s not worth being weird for Ty Simpson. It’s just not.” (16:07–16:19)

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4. Mike Vrabel Scandal: Airports, Gifts & Media Silence

Discussion Points

• Vrabel’s Public Apology Tour

  • The hosts riff on photos of Mike Vrabel at a Salt Lake City airport, shopping for pajamas as an apparent apology gift after reports of his long extra-marital affair became public. (17:14–17:35)
  • Extended bit: Faux gift suggestions (Gardetto’s, pistachio nuts, neck pillow, sushi, a phone charger), lampooning the inadequacy of airport gifts for such major transgressions. (18:30–19:59)

• Larger Media and Ethical Issues

  • Why are national outlets (specifically ESPN, NFL Network, NYT) so silent?
  • Concerns about how relationships between insiders and sources can influence coverage, transactions, and even job opportunities. (21:30–26:33)
  • Skepticism about organizations’ internal policing or even desire to know the truth about insider access and conflicts of interest. (26:33–28:41)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Dan (on Vrabel’s gift shopping):

  “Let’s see what they have over at Hudson News. Honey, I got you a $13 bag of Gardettos. Yeah, buddy, I got you pistachio nuts.” (17:14–18:30)

• Matt (on the state of the scandal):

  “It’s just... you add another layer to this story. I mean, he leaves for one day for counseling, skips day three of the draft... we’re all fixed now. Everything is better.” (20:07–20:34)

• Dan (on hiding as a famous person):

  “He can’t hide either because he’s so big. He’s not a normal sized person. So even if he put on...some kind of disguise... you can’t hide the fact you’re 7:2, dude.” (20:39–21:01)

• Dan (on ESPN’s silence):

  “I would really like to know how people rise on the corporate ladder there...I think there are some questions that need to be answered about your internal policies...” (27:14–28:03)

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5. Meta-Commentary: Why Speak Out?

Discussion Points

• Why Keep Talking If Change Seems Pointless?
  • Dan argues forcefully that even if the “right thing” likely won’t happen, it’s still worth saying out loud. Capitulation, he says, is a kind of defeat. (36:45–38:57)

Notable Quote

• Dan:

  “If you believe something to be the right thing to do and you believe something to be correct the moment you say, well, I’m not going to say that or think that because it doesn’t really matter, that’s defeat... It still matters and it’s always going to matter.” (36:45–39:14)

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6. Final Thoughts: Locker Room Trust & Leadership

Discussion Points

• Vrabel’s Credibility Problem
  • The hosts revisit why the scandal matters—to the locker room, team culture, and the consistent gap between publicly espoused values and private behavior. (34:00–35:24)
  • The difference between private failings and organizational accountability, especially when lying or political pressure enters the picture. (35:24–36:31)

Notable Quotes

• Matt:

  “The stuff that you act about. The high and mighty high character, full of integrity. Football coach. Come follow me, guys. I’m going to galvanize this building and galvanize our team that that stuff doesn’t work. And that if I’m a leader on that team, that falls on deaf ears.” (34:00–35:24)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Draft Ratings & Event Critique: 02:14–06:18
• Sarcastic Bears Draft Review & Divisional Watchlist: 06:18–12:51
• Ty Simpson, Secret Meetings & Rams Oddness: 14:04–16:19
• Mike Vrabel, the Airport & Media Ethics: 17:14–28:41
• Commentary on Why To Speak Up: 36:45–39:14

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Memorable Moments

• Sarcastic Bears Praise: “I think it was the greatest draft class... in the history of all NFL draft classes.” (06:18)
• Vrabel Gift Shopping Bit: “Honey, I got you a $13 bag of Gardettos.” (17:14)
• On the Value of Outspoken Critique: “Because it still matters and it’s always going to matter.” (39:14)

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In Summary

This episode exemplifies Bernstein and Abaticola’s signature blend of humor and critical insight—lacing sarcasm about Bears optimism with a frank, probing look at one of the NFL’s biggest ongoing scandals and the complicity of national sports media. With rapid-fire banter, sharp analysis, and no fear of “bigger picture” questions, Forward Progress continues to be essential listening for fans who want depth, not just homerism.

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Transcript

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[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan,

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[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress Chicago Bears Podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 31 2Sports

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward progress hereby awarded to you on 31 2Sports Getting you caught up in all things Bears, Bears and NFL. The Bears have done their draft stuff and the draft wave has receded from shore and pretty interesting that not that many people were watching. Did you notice that the audience was down?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, the, you know, night Night one is kind of, is kind of cool. That's fun to, to watch. The, the first round picks happen. I, I think they should do that on Friday night. I think it should go Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I don't know why you do it on Thursday night, but it's just, it's, it's really not all that interesting and it's not really that entertaining. And when Roger Goodell is like the main centerpiece of it to kick it off, it just, it makes it even less desirable to watch. And I mean I wouldn't be a guy that would go and boo him and I think that's stupid. But the way he plays it up and it's just the silliness to it all. I, I think it, it can be done better and it just, it's not really, it's not really exciting to watch. And maybe that was only because my team was picking 25. Well, if my team was in the top 10, maybe I'm more excited about it. But it just, it's really not that entertaining to begin with.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's a bad draft and the audience was down from 13.6 million to 13.2. And that's including every platform. ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, YouTube, the ESPN app, all of it. And which is, it's lower than last year's weekly average for Thursday Night Football, which is on prime video. And that is generally why it's probably on Thursdays because you think you have a built in habitual football audience that's already there. But it isn't just that. It's also the fact that as usually happens with these things when they actually talk to people in Pittsburgh, all these downtown businesses that thought they would benefit, didn't. It was described, WPXI TV described it as a ghost town. And apparently there was $100 parking that there. The regulars weren't coming by any of these places because everybody scared off the locals from downtown and generally the businesses that had staffed up and brought in all this rear resources and didn't really see any increase in business. So we shall see. We'll see all the crazy. Look how many people attended. But I think we told you before how they count the attendance over and over and over again. If people leave the perimeter at any point and come back. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And come back in, they count you again a second time. I'd have to go back and look and see what numbers were like in Chicago and Detroit and Green Bay. You know, I Just wonder if going at the end of April to some of these locations, maybe there's better, more desirable spots. I don't know. Like, dude, if you're going to. If you're going to go to the draft, and wouldn't you rather go to the draft than spend a few days in New York City? Wire, you know, on top of it, like, you're gonna go to Pittsburgh just for the sake of going to see the draft, like, make it at least Chicago. There's other things to do. You're gonna go to Green Bay, you're gonna just go see the draft. But, you know, maybe better spots might. Might help it out. But again, I didn't look and see what the numbers were like in those other cities as well, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I just thought it was interesting that we get.

[Matt Abaticola]

We.

[Dan Bernstein]

We always make this huge deal of it and then we watch it. And the stuff we were like, okay, yeah, that was. And I guess most people kind of feel that way. So we're. I think we're sort of all. We've worked ourselves to the same place in large part when it comes to how we consume something that is that, you know, for years was just a bunch of guys with their yellow pads sitting around a table in a smoky conference room, in a hotel ballroom, wherever it may be. And now it's this giant thing where we get into all kinds of these players backgrounds and all the poverty porn and all of this idea, well, this person was raised in a shoebox by wolves and look at them now. So there's. There's all that aspect to it, but maybe. Maybe it's peaked. Don't know. Just more data points to look at here.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, looking at the draft itself, too, there's. There's a handful of guys I'm going to keep an eye on. You know, again, I'll say this about the Bears draft. I think it was the greatest draft class of any team to ever draft players ever. I think Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles did the right thing in every decision, every choice, every selection. Daniel, this is going to go down as one of the greatest draft classes in the history of all NFL draft classes. As a Chicago Bears fan, I'll say that proudly because I'm very proud of what they did, and I think it was the greatest class ever drafted in NFL history.

[Dan Bernstein]

Writing it down.

[Matt Abaticola]

That all being said. Are you writing it down?

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I'm going to make sure for posterity. Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

There are a few guys I'm going to watch, and I specifically wanted to look at a couple guys in the division, a couple other guys to a positions that the Bears drafted. First and foremost, I'm going to keep an eye on the development, the growth of the progression of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 offensive tackles that were taken in this draft. Some before the Bears obviously were drafting, some after the Bears drafted in Francis Malgoa, Spencer Fano, Kaden Proctor, Mineral Freeling, Blake Miller, Caleb Lomu, Max A honor chore. So I'm going to track those seven guys.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's kind of hard to track. It's not like you can look at. I mean, unless you're deciding what your standard is going to be and is it going to be what's left of PFF and PFF rankings Because I don't know, you know, how we're going to use PFF now that all the smart people are gone. But.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, I mean, there's still. There'll be a. There'll be ways to measure guys and their ability to play and you know, when they start, when they take over starting job.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm just curious.

[Matt Abaticola]

They give up. Yeah. I mean, you know, there's. You can. You can see how a guy progresses in his career. So we'll keep an eye on those guys within the division. I'm going to keep an eye on. Lions draft pick Derek Moore edge rusher out of Michigan. He was given a combine grade of 6.30. Eventually will be a plus starter. Was given a grade of a third round pick. He was selected in the second round 44 overall by the Lions. Another guy is a guy that we talked about a few different times looking at mock drafts was Big Citrus Dominique Orange, the defensive tackle out of Iowa state. Given a 6.26 grade at the combine. Eventual average starter. He was given a grade of a second to a third round pick. He was picked in the third round. Number 82, defensive tackle Big citrus Dominique Orange with the Vikings Green bay selected at 120 in the fourth round. This guy was given a third round grade. Danny. Dennis Sutton edge out of Penn State. Given a combine grade of 6.18. A good backup could eventually start. His athleticism score at the combine was 91, which was number one among defensive ends and edges at the combine.

[Dan Bernstein]

Are you doing this? Are you just creating this list to make yourself mad?

[Matt Abaticola]

No, no, no, I'm not gonna. Oh, dude. Listen. My, my. I wake up every day and I'm. I love my life. I'm living a golden, blessed, happy life.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay?

[Matt Abaticola]

This is not gonna make me mad. I'm just gonna track it to see There were. Because, listen, despite the fact that this is the greatest draft class ever made by any NFL team ever, and the fact that all of us, including all the draft experts outside of Chicago, thought, hey, there's a couple big needs that this team has. Edge rusher, getting pressure on the quarterback

[Dan Bernstein]

and tackle, defensive tackle and offensive tackle.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. And none of those areas were addressed.

[Dan Bernstein]

Correct.

[Matt Abaticola]

And as you. I thought the argument you made yesterday was were the Bears being very practical or were they being very arrogant in this draft? I thought it was a really nice argument you put together. On the flip side of the, you know, being practical, if this isn't a very good draft, then. Then why not do things to move up into an area to get a guy who's an impact player this year, like a really good football player this year, that solves a significant need you have. Okay. But anyway, so no, I'm not doing it to make myself angry. I'm doing it just to look back and say, you know what? When it's all said and done, the Bears were right. We're all idiots. They didn't need to address those areas of concern that we all saw. And the stats played out last year as well. So, no, I'm not doing anything to make myself angry. Just want to keep an eye on it.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Another guy, another guy outside the division is wide receiver from Connecticut, Skyler Bell, who was selected in the fourth round. Pick number 125 by Buffalo is a guy that rated as 6.31 for the combine, will eventually be a plus starter, had a third round great taken in the fourth round at 125. I think is a guy this year that will impact the passing game for the Buffalo Bills.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

Just keep an eye on him. And the last one that I will, I will keep an eye on is a guy that again mentioned with the Bears a lot in mock drafts was Emmanuel McNeil Warren. Yes. That Matt Miller said was the steal of the draft. Going down to number 28, he could have been a top 20 pick. He was graded at 6.39. Eventually a plus starter in the NFL was given a grade, a round of one or two. He was picked 58 in round two. So right there. But a lot of people had him going in the, in the first round. A lot of these mock drafts projected even top 20, top 25. And he went to Cleveland at pick number 58. So we'll keep an eye on that guy as well, too. Listen, I think, I think the pick of Dylan Feederman was the greatest draft pick the Bears have ever made.

[Dan Bernstein]

You're going to confuse people. People aren't going to realize your sarcasm. This, this is a. This is a mistake that always gets made that you presume there will be a recognition of sarcasm when there are enough stupid people that are like, what is he talking about? The best ever. No one's going to get it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, no, don't say no one, because there are people that speak sarcasm.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

And there are intelligent people that listen to these podcasts. They're. They're few and far in between, but they're out there.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay?

[Matt Abaticola]

So they'll get it. You get it. I get it. And that's really.

[Dan Bernstein]

I get it. It's just making sure.

[Matt Abaticola]

As long as you get it, that's fine.

[Dan Bernstein]

I want the warning out there.

[Matt Abaticola]

The warning is out there. So those are just a handful of players that, that will. I'll keep an eye on as we go through the year. Not, not to say that the Bears should have drafted any of these guys, because what they did was the exact right, perfect thing to do.

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[Dan Bernstein]

think we should note that Ty Simpson now, after the first blush of the Laura Rutledge questioning that he received on draft night, now he says, oh, yeah, we had all kinds of secret Meetings.

[Matt Abaticola]

Secret meetings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, with Sean McVeigh and meetings. That's fine. You can. That's not a. You're. You're allowed. It's like, hey, don't. Don't tell anybody. And it seems like they've made it very clear that you're the apprentice, that you are here. You're the sorcerer's apprentice. You have to dress like Mickey Mouse and make sure the brooms don't get off on their own. But you're. As soon as Matthew Stafford is done, then it's your turn. But it's not your turn yet. No matter what happens. Okay, I get it. And he. But he is here to learn at the hand of the master. But. But they had all kinds of. They sat down together. Don't say anything. Very quietly. I don't know if he had to sign NDAs or why he had to kind of maybe not tell the whole truth on draft night, but, yes, this was. Or this is all leaking out now because they want it known. Sean McVeigh. He wants everybody to know, by the way, I had secret meetings.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, Dan, that's exactly what it is. Because if you saw Sean McVay's reaction to the draft of Ty Simpson, he didn't look very happy. So either he was acting and playing along and trying to fit into this whole narrative of. We wanted to keep it very, very secret. We had secret. I mean, Ty Simpson said that they. They sat down and talked for hours.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And then there was the press conference where there was the weird body language. And then Sean McVeigh had been like, oh, yeah, we're on the same page with everything, and we love each other and, like, watch us dance and throw rose petals together. See, everything's fine here. No need to ask us questions about our relationship. And now we hear about the secret meetings.

[Matt Abaticola]

Secret meetings.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, well, it doesn't count unless you're wearing fake mustaches. Doesn't count.

[Matt Abaticola]

They need to hold the glasses, the nose, the mustache, the whole thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep, yep. And trench coats.

[Matt Abaticola]

And I think they. They should have met at a cafe and sat back to back so there was no staring each other in the eyes. You sat back to back and just. You spoke randomly.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I like it. That. That.

[Matt Abaticola]

That.

[Dan Bernstein]

Otherwise not secret enough. And it certainly doesn't count. All I know is the Rams are being weird, and. And the Rams have been weird since this started with the whole thing. It's not worth being weird for Ty Simpson. It's just not.

[Matt Abaticola]

Really not.

[Dan Bernstein]

No, it's not. It really isn't. We have to get to this story, too.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay. Before you do, I have a question, though, for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, we.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, and I'm. I. I know, but this is a very important question. Okay. Have a friend who did something bad in his marriage and is trying to make up for it by buying a gift. Do you have any recommendations of what a good gift would be?

[Dan Bernstein]

No.

[Matt Abaticola]

Any recommendations on where to shop for said gift?

[Dan Bernstein]

A jewelry store, maybe? I don't. I don't know of these. Like, the level of apology gift. Like, generally, they're all going to be transparent, pointless efforts anyway.

[Matt Abaticola]

Why would you say that?

[Dan Bernstein]

Because that's not.

[Matt Abaticola]

You mean a gift can't make up for ruining the vows of your marriage?

[Dan Bernstein]

Just like. What do you think the whole point of it is? Ridiculous. So the reason why you ask is. Oh, why is it page six of the New York Post has pictures of Mike Vrabel in Salt Lake City in the middle of the draft, and he's. He's supposed to be at his wiener counseling, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, it was just one day. It was the one day.

[Dan Bernstein]

One day he was. They have a house, and he and his wife Jen have a house in Utah. So he was at the Salt Lake City airport, and he was apparently picking out pajamas at a gift shop in the airport. And as according to a friend of the show who says. Who says the following. I need a gift that says I'm sorry for having an affair for the better part of a decade and possibly maybe even fathering a child out of wedlock and getting this embarrassing story stuck in the headlines for weeks. Let's see what they have over at Hudson News. Honey, I got you a $13 bag of Gardettos. Yeah, buddy, I got you pistachio nuts. Yar. Like, he's apparently looking at pajamas.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, there was. That's what the photos he was holding up looked like a pajama top. But I mean, unless you're asking me,

[Dan Bernstein]

hey, on your way home, pick me up some pajamas. I'm gonna be wandering around the house, right?

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I know. I know you're. I know you're coming back through the airport. Can you stop at duty free and get me a big bottle of Gray Goose, please?

[Dan Bernstein]

Wait, you can't get duty free coming in. Do you have to be. You have to be heading out, don't you?

[Matt Abaticola]

No, there's no. There's shops there. Well, I mean, other shops. Like the duty free shops. Yeah, but. Yeah, whatever.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, but, like, duty free. You have to be traveling internationally where you would be paying duty.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, he's paying Duty for sure.

[Dan Bernstein]

Don't. Don't touch any of the duty. You don't want any of that. You don't like.

[Matt Abaticola]

What's it like? What's he bringing home? Like a Danielle Steele romance novel and a big bag of chili cheese Bugles,

[Dan Bernstein]

some Trident gum, a games magazine. And that airborne like. Oh, the vitamin C tablets, whatever the tablets are that help your immune system. The immune booster or whatever.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hey, honey. Sorry about this whole situation. Here's a neck pillow. I love you.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know I love you. Here's an old copy of the USA a baseball preview issue.

[Matt Abaticola]

Got you. Also got you some sushi on the way out. And I only had a couple of the rolls. You can finish this too. I. I guess. I love it.

[Dan Bernstein]

I also stopped at a kiosk and I got a phone charger fixed. Yeah, there's a phone charger for you here.

[Matt Abaticola]

I got your screen fixed that.

[Dan Bernstein]

You break it, I fix it. Here. Here you go. What? What? Come on, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's just. It's on. It's unfortunate. It's just another. You add another layer to this. This story. I mean, he leaves for one day for counseling, skips day three of the draft. So you guys aren't as important to me as days one and two and I mean, we're all fixed now. Everything is better. We're good to go.

[Dan Bernstein]

It's all good. All good.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like this guy. I mean, and like is page six. Just have a dedicated Mike Vrabel guy now.

[Dan Bernstein]

He can't hide either because he's so big. That's the thing. He's not a normal sized person. So even if he put on. It's like that story Terry used to tell about Juwan Oldham on the Bulls when he. There were like a bunch of paternity suits when he got to Seattle on the road trip. So he. He was walking around in some kind of disguise.

[Matt Abaticola]

How'd that go for him?

[Dan Bernstein]

Terry asked her like, hey, buddy, what are you doing? And he explained. He's like, you know that you're a 7 foot 2 inch black man in Seattle, that you can't hide the fact you're 7:2, dude. And. But he didn't, you know, don't tell him you're buying a makeup gift for like an eight year affair allegedly.

[Matt Abaticola]

In the airport.

[Dan Bernstein]

In the airport.

[Matt Abaticola]

In an airport store.

[Dan Bernstein]

How about the bigger issue, I think is what's going on with ESPN and now NFL Network and the Athletic and the New York Times, right? They're hiding. And how about the fact this is the other thing too Like Scott Zolak is like, I got thoughts. When I can't share them, I'll lose my job.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

What you can't just say, how about, how about an honest viewpoint and say something like, this concerns me. Obviously this is something that merits further scrutiny. And it's concerning to know that this might have been going on. You get fired over that.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's really interesting that how confused people are about the nature of this story.

[Dan Bernstein]

Everybody's confused a lot.

[Matt Abaticola]

A lot of comments like, oh, you know what, stay out of the people's business. It's their personal lives. It's their private lives. And I get that the NFL is a, is a private club of exclusive members and ownership and whatnot, but ethically speaking, why is no one backing her up then? If it's like, oh, leave Mike Vrabo alone. It's his own personal life, well, then stand up for Diana Rossini the same way.

[Dan Bernstein]

Because I do think people understand there's. The responsibility is a little different there, and it certainly is, but he also

[Matt Abaticola]

has responsibility as well too. You can look at the NFL shield and their, and their, their conduct policy. He certainly has violated that. Not only that, but we talk about the trust that is broken within the locker room about being a distraction and all the things that he says that he stands for and stood for and then acted the complete opposite way. That's why we bring it up. How do you trust that guy as your head, your. Your head coach of an NFL football team?

[Dan Bernstein]

Perhaps more importantly, I do think it's shining a light on the role of national insiders in the reporting and information ecosystem that matters. And that's why the forensic reporting. There's a guy on Twitter that, where I know Mike Florio has been, been repackaging some of the stuff. A guy named Tony Farmer, who's been going back and looking at the timing of these reports and everything is publicly available. Somebody found a playlist that Diana Rossini made on Spotify. Yeah. That was shared with somebody named Mike. And it was called like keep your head high.

[Matt Abaticola]

It was called. No, it was. The playlist was called turning the page.

[Dan Bernstein]

Oh, turning the page. Which she named it and sent it to somebody named Mike. That happened to time up with a Titans four game losing streak. Like, this is the kind of things that people are doing now to find out what happened, what happened with the control or flow of information that could benefit certain teams and the use of these relationships and the use of, of off the record access. Obviously you've got relationships with reporters, whether it's Schefter or Ian Rapaport or whomever,

[Matt Abaticola]

even small no name guys have, have relationships where they're getting information off the record, but it's just the use of that and how it influences the market at that time. That's, that's what the issue is.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's, that's why the larger issue,

[Matt Abaticola]

that's why it needs to be talked about.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. Having.

[Matt Abaticola]

Not about staying out of people's personal lives and their private lives. There is more to it. This is a multibillion dollar business and they could influence the way the market runs or flows for a certain period of time.

[Dan Bernstein]

And having somebody in your pocket, having a national person with that kind of access working for you, changes everything. It allows you to control things, to do things, to put things out there that benefit you in a way that other people don't get the same benefits. And especially if you're smart about it, which, and when it's going on this long and allegedly and you have it down to that kind of system, this is when things can start making that kind of difference. So yeah, we're going to keep looking at it. And it is. I'm, I'm still waiting for ESPN where all they do is try to find hot button issues and have people scream about them. And, and that's it. Find the issue of the day and have people scream about it and take whatever positions you need to take, whether disingenuous or not, and, and, and shout absolutes about them. Fine, I get it. That's your business. Why not, why not this?

[Matt Abaticola]

Right?

[Dan Bernstein]

Why not this? And, and anything you give me for saying, well, this is why. Because we don't talk about personal.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, you do.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, you do. This completely fits everything you would otherwise talk about when it isn't in your own backyard, but it's not. One of your former reporters.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, one thing I thought about, Dan, is why people aren't talking about it. And if you, if you talk about it just like, just like going to court, if you talk about something, what do you do then? If you, if you, if you, if you bring something up, you talk about

[Dan Bernstein]

it, you allow, you allow for other questions to start being asked, such as, and legally what you're talking about is obviously discovery. When you bring things out and say, okay, well now we can ask about this, and now we are obligated to begin asking about this and this and this. Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

So if I don't bring it up, I can't get asked questions about what I knew, when I knew, how I knew it Those types of things. So if you don't say anything, you don't open yourself up to that type of, of questioning, which, which would be the only reason why you wouldn't talk about it right now. Well, it's also because it makes sense.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's half of it. And part of it is because you believe in your ability to control everything, because you've cornered the market on the control of some of the information. And that if you don't deem something worth talking about, it is therefore not. And that's decided and nobody else will. And that's why you have to keep saying, hey, espn, New York Times, Anyone here? NFL Network, anybody? Thoughts? It's particularly ESPN because this happened when she was working there. What did they know? When did they know it? And they don't apparently feel they have to answer, have to address it. If I work at espn, I'd really like to know. I would really like to know how people rise on the corporate ladder there. How people get plum jobs, how people get the opportunities over other people. That's what I. Then I think there are some questions that need to be answered about your internal policies, about what's okay and what's not okay, and whether or not you get addicted to that inside information that just keeps on coming. And maybe you don't ask the questions you should because you don't want to know the answers to them.

[Matt Abaticola]

And what about other beat reporters?

[Dan Bernstein]

Sure.

[Matt Abaticola]

During, during that time frame, lost out stories, maybe lost out positions, jobs? Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know the answer to these things, but I know that I know a lot of the questions. I know a lot of the questions. And it is unfortunate that the organizations who are actually involved either don't want to know the answers or know the answers and simply don't want to say anything correct because they don't feel they have to, or there isn't really anybody in a position to ask them those questions.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I'd go with the latter on that one for sure.

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[Dan Bernstein]

because there's, you know, who is. Is it Andrew Marchand? Is it who are the. Is it awful announcing who. Where are the places that would go and say, you know, we'd really like you to be on the record about what whether this was okay and that was okay and here's what we've turned up. Do you agree that this would be troubling? Even if you say we didn't know, we didn't know we didn't know. Do you agree that this is something you should have known about or that had you known this, you would have done something? You don't have to necessarily admit to wrongdoing, but you can honestly be presented with information and say, yeah, we need to look at our best practices about what the what involved relationships here are resulting in the information that we get.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And I also want to reiterate too that and I think we did say this. If you didn't listen to our episode about Mike Vrabel last Friday, not many people have. You should take a look at it because, you know, we talk about his potential future with the Patriots. We we both realize and understand and know, and I. I can say this too, that even though I think Robert Kraft should fire Mike Vrabel, he's not going to. And yes, I know of Robert Kraft's history and his own transgressions, which certainly is not going to lead him down the path of firing Mike Vrabel because he probably doesn't care. So, yes, we are very fully well

[Dan Bernstein]

aware of all of that.

[Matt Abaticola]

But I. I just think that this story and the new wrinkle to it today and these photos of Mike Ray Bull shopping in the airport is just, man, like, come on, dude. Like, you're stepping in it left and right, and then it's like, you're gonna do this, like, hey, honey, here's in Flight magazine. I just brought this from the plane for you.

[Dan Bernstein]

I'm.

[Matt Abaticola]

I'm sorry.

[Dan Bernstein]

I tore this out of the back. And it's a list of America's top independent steakhouses. And here's a half done sudoku.

[Matt Abaticola]

Which one would you like to go to? I'll treat.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, come on. Pick one of these. Pick one of these top five independent steakhouses, and we'll go there. And also, here's a barf bag, like, come on, man.

[Matt Abaticola]

And a box of snacks I got on the flight. Yeah, Tapas, though. It's Mediterranean. There's great.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's hummus. Yeah. Look at this. There's the good. The good crackers with the like, chunks of actual whole grain in them. Hey, look at me. Hey. So it was only a. Only a decade long affair.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, you couldn't. It's like an SNL skit.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yep.

[Matt Abaticola]

Come on, man. Yeah, but I mean, I hope he's better now. I hope it's all. Hope it's all good. Yeah. Now that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Now that he's gone to wiener counseling. It was a day, apparently. Just a day. There he went and he went in and he signed in and he said, hi, I'm. I'm Mike. And occasionally my wiener goes wandering off. Hi, Mike. Hi, Mike. Yeah, we had that problem. And I suggest you go to the airport and you buy a big bag of Chex Mix and you bring it home and you. And you set it on her pillow. That's what she'll. That's what you learn at wiener counseling.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, boy. All right, now we can focus on football.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, it's football. Football. Now just get that distraction out of the way.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's right. Yeah. I just. I just don't know how this can work, man. I don't know how it can work for New England. I don't know. I just don't get it. I don't get it with the players, and I just don't know. You know, not that. You know, I'm not saying the guy should lose his job. I hate saying anybody should lose their job, but I'm not saying he should lose his job because he had an affair. That's something he's got to work out with his wife and figure all that out for their relationship. But you can't go and say. And. And we went back and looked at the. At the press conference when he first was introduced as the Patriots head, and looked at all the things he said there. You can't say all those things, man. When you were years and years deep into this, into this affair, you can't and. And still hold that position of respect with the. With the locker room. That's why he should be fired. I. You know what? You want to go out and you want to. You want to bang a different girl every weekend, Fine. That. That's for you and your wife to figure out. The stuff that you act about. The high and mighty high character, full of integrity. Football coach. Come follow me, guys. I'm going to galvanize this building and galvanize our team that that stuff doesn't work. And that if I'm a leader on that team, that falls on deaf ears. Now it's like, hey, Coach, what's up, man? Like, what about all the bullshit? What about. God forbid he had. He had any kind of serious conversation with any one of those players on that roster about their behavior off the football field.

[Dan Bernstein]

And the question is, and the reason one of her big transgressions had to do with Steven Ginsberg, her editor, is organization ends up lying on your behalf. That usually gets you fired.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Dan Bernstein]

And at this point, I don't think the Patriots have lied on his behalf.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, they just tried to get the story buried before it went out.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. So what it did was it did take these. It took the resources, took ownership calling, trying to use whatever political power they had. Like you called in some thunder to try to get that done at the highest levels. And once that's spent, it's spent. Say I'm Robert Kraft and I demand, and I'll take away this and I'll take away that, and I'll make. I'll lobby Congress to take away whatever it might be. And they say, no, no.

[Matt Abaticola]

So let me ask you, though, we're

[Dan Bernstein]

going with the story. When you. When you make an organization do that, sometimes the organization goes back to you and Says, get out of here.

[Matt Abaticola]

Now. If it wasn't that big of a story, why fight so hard to bury it, right? If it really doesn't matter in the, in the big picture of life and things and football and the NFL, why, why fight to get it buried? Why try that if it doesn't matter?

[Dan Bernstein]

And let me make one other point that resonates with me. Where in this. I've always said this, and I, you get this response sometimes. It's like, well, why do you say, you know that's never going to happen, you know they're never going to do. Because it doesn't matter if you believe something to be the right thing to do and you believe something to be correct the moment you say, well, I'm not going to say that or think that because it doesn't really matter, that's defeat.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it is.

[Dan Bernstein]

And it's, it's sad, it's pathetic. If that's the way you live your life, well, I'm not going to bother. What's the point? I'm not going to do anything if, if it's just words anyway. And you can't say how you feel if that's all it is, is you won't even express your thought. This isn't okay, something, Someone should ask these questions, someone should be reporting on this. Then what are you, how are you waking up every day going about your life? If that's how you feel about things, you can't allow the fact that, that, yeah, it's, it's probably not going to end the, the way you want it or correctly or appropriately or, and people aren't going to do right things. But it doesn't mean you lose sight of what you think is the correct thing to do or the correct thing that should be done, otherwise you just completely capitulated. So, so just don't bring that to me. Well, you know that. Or don't, don't bring that up because it's all going to fall on deaf ears anyway. Why bother? Because it still matters. Yeah, it still matters and it's always going to matter. The things that you feel are right. And you, if you, when you have the forum to say such things, whatever it may be, it, maybe you're just posting on social media, might just be, this is my opinion on something, and this is how I feel. And this is how I feel between the right way to handle something and the wrong way to handle something or to hold people consistent with what they've said or how they've purported to be. And, and you're taking your time to scream at somebody and say, well, if you think that it's worthless and stop doing it. Well, okay. All right. Well, that's, that's, I guess we're just going to disagree on that. And if you think it's worth your time to scream about somebody else screaming about something, that that's worth your time, great.

[Matt Abaticola]

And you have that right to do that.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes. You absolutely. God bless you and, and go ahead and be heard on something. But it is, it's just not really an effective argument to say, well, why do you say this if you know that this isn't going to happen? Because it's still worth saying, that's why.

[Matt Abaticola]

Pretty simple. And that's Dan Bernstein. I'm Matt Abaticola. This is Forward Progress for you today right here on 312 Sports. Remember, check out organizations win championships. It's our Bulls podcast. They drop new every Wednesday. We have a daily Cubs podcast off the Ivy with us and Cody Delmendo. And then we have DBU Dan Bernstein, unfiltered drops every day right around 11 o'. Clock. Lots of good stuff for you on Three One Two Sports. Thanks for listening to Ford Progress. We'll tech talk to you next time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Forward Progress has stopped.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abeticola on 312 Sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

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[Dan Bernstein]

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