Former Lions $60 Million DB Already ‘Slacking’ in Caribbean During OTAs: Report

New England Patriots new head coach Mike Vrabel made one point clear as soon as he took over the job in January. He plans to build a new “culture” for the team and the Patriots organization.

The core of that culture, Vrabel said in his initial statement when he was introduced as head coach, will be “the ability to put the team first and care about somebody other than yourself.”

Presumably, he felt that a culture with something other than a “team first” attitude has prevailed in New England over the past five years. Since a Tennessee Titans team coached by Vrabel himself defeated the Patriots in Wild Card playoff round 20-13 on January 4, 2020, New England first saw legendary quarterback Tom Brady depart as a free agent after 20 years, followed by losing seasons in four of the next five years.

In both 2023 and 2024, the Patriots finished with dismal 4-13 records. Clearly Vrabel was on to something with his determination that a culture change was badly needed in New England.

Vrabel’s Culture-Building Already Facing Challenges

But organized team activity (OTA) practices have been going on for just two weeks and Vrabel is already finding his “team first” culture being challenged — not by rookies who don’t know any better, but by two veteran players who were among the Patriots free agent signings this spring.

First, there was receiver Stefon Diggs who was seen in an online video over Memorial Day weekend on a yacht off the Miami coastline, surrounded by skimpily clad women and handing them an unidentified pink substance.

Then, on Wednesday when other Patriots players were attending OTA practices, newly signed cornerback Carlton Davis III was seen in an online video allegedly vacationing off a Caribbean island, on a jet ski.

The Davis video, however, was substantially different than the one depicting Diggs. If the pink substance in the Diggs video was something illegal, then Diggs’ vacationing activities could obviously cause him some serious problems beyond simple discipline by the Patriots.

Davis, on the other hand, is simply on a normal vacation in his video. OTA practices are voluntary — and according to media reports, Davis was indeed present at the May 20 OTA, the first session open to members of the media for observation.

Davis Attended Earlier OTA Practice

In fact, on online video posted by Kevin Stone of New England Football Journal shows Davis at that earlier OTA session.

With a three year contract worth $18 million per season, including incentives that could raise the total package to $60 million, the former Detroit Lions cornerback was the second-most expensive free agent signed by the Patriots this offseason.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams, a member of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, was the richest signing at four years, $104 million.

“With this being the most lucrative deal he has signed to date, one would think that Davis III would take it upon himself to lead by example and be on the field with the rest of New England’s roster participating in OTAs,” wrote Fansided Lions reporter Michael Bohlin on Thursday.

Bohlin’s report described Davis as “already slacking off after getting (a) major payday.”

“It seems safe to assume that new head coach Mike Vrabel would have preferred one of the players expected to be a key contributor on defense to be with the rest of the roster after giving him that much money in a multi-year contract,” Bohlin concluded.