After denying that the story was even a thing, the New England Patriots are in full damage control mode trying to deal with the fallout of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini’s excursion to an Arizona resort.
Both Vrabel and Russini tried to deny that any improprieties happened as the two married individuals were photographed together at a swanky Sedona spot. But the stories about girls hiking trips and a hangout with friends seems to have fallen apart. And now any coordinated effort to come clean about what really happened seems to be falling apart too.
Dianna Russini was indignant in her public resignation letter from The Athletic, defending her reputation and career. Mike Vrabel called an impromptu press conference in front of a small group of Patriots reporters offering a statement that looked and sounded like an apology but didn’t contain any actual words to that effect. The Patriots head coach has taken it a step further by skipping the third day of the NFL Draft to attend counseling with his family.
It’s become increasingly apparent that the Patriots and Vrabel are doing everything they can to bury the story this week amidst the draft before they hope to move on. They are attempting to control an uncontrollable narrative and that’s where Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is calling foul.
The counseling admission was revealed in an ESPN article published at midnight on Thursday with the first round of the draft just hours away.
The Monday statement was followed by a Q&A session with reporters where cameras were not allowed and the focus was supposed to be on football.
In a Wednesday article before the news about Vrabel seeking counseling was made public, Florio furiously called out the Patriots for restricting access.
When he was made available to reporters “on the side,” the reporters were told to turn off any microphones or cameras. They were told to ask football questions only. One didn’t, and Vrabel declined to answer it. Another one tried, and V.P. of communications Stacey James intervened.
It’s unacceptable. Vrabel is a grown man, 50 years old and entering his eighth season as a head coach. He can answer questions, on all relevant subjects. Particularly on the relevant subject he addressed in vague, general terms in his statement.
He’s free to decline to answer a question. He’s free to answer it however he wants. But he should be expected to say something.
It’s bush league for an organization that craves media attention to try to dictate attention on its own terms. When it happens, reporters should call it out.
At least one Boston area reporter has called Mike Vrabel and the Patriots out for their actions. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe called the press interaction a “sneak attack” with a small group of reporters present who thought they were going to talk to others about the NFL Draft. Instead, Vrabel made a surprise appearance and then took part in a carefully controlled Q&A with the cameras turned off.
The sneak attack on the media today hurt the sincerity of Mike Vrabel’s message https://t.co/9RltuGRzmc
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 21, 2026
The world has gotten a lot smarter and maybe a lot more cynical in modern times. In the age of social media and 24/7 news cycles, it’s a lot harder to make stories go away. And as Florio observes and anyone with even an ounce of media literacy can see, the Patriots and Vrabel are doing their best to shirk accountability and bury this as quickly and painlessly as possible.
There are plenty of questions that remain for Mike Vrabel and the Patriots. Why exactly is he seeking counseling and for what? Why is it happening during the NFL Draft? Is there going to be an actual accounting of what happened between him and Russini? What about the effect on the organization or his relationship with his players who he demands accountability from?
The Patriots are going to try as best as they can to make those questions go away. It’s up to reporters to keep asking them anyways.
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