New England Patriots Head Coach, Mike Vrabel is shown on the sideline, Thursday, August 21, 2025, in East Rutherford. Credit: Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
By Matt Yoder on

Mike Vrabel made a stunning revelation that he would be entering counseling during Day 3 of the NFL Draft. And nobody can quite believe what to actually make of it.

The news was shared in quotes given to ESPN’s Mike Reiss in an article published at midnight on the eve before the draft. Vrabel first acknowledged the seriousness of the situation where he was photographed with NFL insider Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort in a statement given to reporters earlier in the week. He then took questions from reporters in a closed door session that has drawn criticism for the lack of transparency and accountability from both himself and the Patriots organization.

But while Vrabel and the Patriots have seemingly done everything they can to make the story go away with carefully crafted statements, gaggles, and the timing of the counseling announcement, it is seemingly backfiring in a big way.

The revelation about Vrabel’s counseling excursion taking place during Day 3 of the NFL Draft has invited fresh scrutiny on any number of fronts. And now the sports media is wondering whether there is more to come in the story and why Vrabel is taking this step at this time. It’s seemingly serious enough that it has to be done during the NFL Draft, but not serious enough that it can wait till Day 3? Many observers found that the news passes the smell test.

In attempting to bury the story in a midnight release the eve before the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots and Mike Vrabel are only inviting further scrutiny. It makes you wonder what could possibly be going on behind the scenes, both with Vrabel personally, and with the organization. The decision to enter counseling during Day 3 invites so many questions about how Vrabel’s personal life is now impacting his professional job performance.

The timing is bizarre, especially considering Reiss’ report that Vrabel will still be in contact with the team while at counseling this Saturday. That doesn’t sound like someone who is so fully committed to his counseling that is so urgent it has to pull him away from his job. Also, this could have been addressed during his statement to the press earlier this week, which begs the question whether the counseling decision came suddenly. Was it something driven by the team or by Vrabel personally? And then, get your tinfoil hats ready, there’s now the suspicion that the New York Post has even more pictures they are sitting on and the Patriots are trying to get ahead of one last drop on draft night that would truly shock the world.

The situation could not have been handled much worse by Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel, and the New England Patriots every step of the way. And it looks like the PR crisis is far from over yet.

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