New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will not be present with the team during Saturday’s third and final day of the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, the embattled head coach, who is in the midst of a scandal over photos of him with former The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini, will be in counseling.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization, and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel told ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Wednesday night. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.
“I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father, and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”
Per Reiss, Vrabel also plans to be with his wife and two sons this weekend, away from Massachusetts. He will remain in contact with the team on Saturday, when they currently have eight picks, and Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf and Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden will lead the draft room.
Vrabel addressed the media on Tuesday, a week after the New York Post’s Page Six published photos of him and Russini at an adults-only resort in Arizona several weeks prior. While the photos showed Vrabel and Russini hugging and holding hands, his initial statement was that it was “laughable” to insinuate that anything unsavory was happening between the two contemporaries who are married to other people. In the days that followed, the stories told by both Russini and Vrabel were not verified, and she resigned from The Athletic amid an ongoing internal investigation.
On Tuesday, Vrabel told reporters that this was a “personal and private matter” and that he’d “had some difficult conversations with people I care about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players.”
“We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” he said in a speech that some felt failed to fully take accountability for his actions.
On Wednesday, Page Six released new photos of Russini and Vrabel at the resort, none of which included anyone else or their friends.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.