FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel said Bill Belichick is welcome at the Patriots’ facility “to the best of my knowledge,” adding that “nothing surprises me” when it comes to the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach’s decision to ban New England scouts at the University of North Carolina.

Vrabel was asked Monday about Belichick’s status with the Patriots in the wake of Belichick confirming that he banned New England scouts because it is “obvious I’m not welcome at their facility.”

“Bill came back for, to the best of my knowledge, [to] Tom’s ceremony,” Vrabel said in his weekly interview with sports radio WEEI, referencing Belichick’s appearance at Tom Brady’s in-stadium team Hall of Fame ceremony in June 2024. “So I guess he’s welcomed back based on the fact he was there.

“I’ll just go by that — since his departure as the head coach here, he’s been back. I’ll leave it at that.”

Belichick received an extended ovation for a sellout crowd before delivering remarks that day. His son, Brian, also served on the Patriots’ coaching staff in 2024 under then-head coach Jerod Mayo.

On Saturday night, following his first win as head coach at North Carolina, Belichick confirmed his ban of Patriots scouts in saying, “It’s obvious I’m not welcome at their facility, so they’re not welcome at ours.”

Belichick’s reference to being welcome in New England is less about his physical presence at the facility, and more about being treated with respect, according to a source close to the former Patriots coach.

Relations between Belichick and owner Robert Kraft have been strained since the sides parted ways in January 2024.

Belichick was painted in an unflattering light in the 10-part Apple TV+ documentary “The Dynasty.” And recently, in an interview with the Boston Globe, Belichick spoke of how it was easier to create a shared vision at UNC and said, “There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son.”

Last week, perhaps in an attempt to smooth things over, Kraft told WBZ-TV that he planned to erect a statue of Belichick in the coming years.

“When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching,” Kraft said. “When Bill’s coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy.”

Vrabel’s comments came one day after the Patriots lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in their season opener. It was the Patriots’ coaching debut for Vrabel, who spent eight seasons as a player under Belichick in New England and was hired to replace Mayo earlier this year.