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The New England Patriots released a statement ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night voicing their support of head coach Mike Vrabel, who is involved in controversy with reporter Dianna Russini.
“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being,” the statement from the Patriots read. “Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.
“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”
The Patriots’ statement comes after news that Vrabel would be stepping away from the team indefinitely to seek counseling and be with his family. The news was first reported by ESPN.
Vrabel is set to be with the Patriots as planned for the start of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night, as well as Friday night’s second and third rounds. However, Vrabel will be away from the team the entire day on Saturday, when Rounds 4 through 7 will take place.
MIKE VRABEL STEPPING AWAY FROM PATRIOTS INDEFINITELY TO SEE COUNSELING AMID DIANNA RUSSINI CONTROVERSY
“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,” Vrabel said in a statement, per ESPN.
“In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. 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.”
Vrabel also told reporters that he’s had “some difficult conversations with people that I care about” regarding himself and Russini being photographed together at a Sedona, Arizona private resort in his first public comments about the controversial relationship.
Since then, photos have surfaced from 2020 showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “He had a ring on.”
Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her now-husband and Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were snapped. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children.
PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL BREAKS SILENCE ON DIANNA RUSSINI PHOTOS THAT LED TO ‘DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS’
Meanwhile, Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, and they share two sons together. In the pictures, Vrabel’s wedding band is visible on his left hand while conversing with Russini. At the time, Russini was with ESPN, while Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans.
This past month, Vrabel and the now-former The Athletic reporter were seen holding hands and hugging at the luxury resort in Arizona. Photos of their intimate interaction were first released in April.
The photos showed the two sunbathing by a pool, in a hot tub, and on the roof of a bungalow holding hands and embracing, which caused a league-wide uproar. Russini, the subject of an investigation by her employer The Athletic, resigned as a result.
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Vrabel also noted speaking with his players, which began the Patriots’ offseason program this week, before his comments to the press.
“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 stated. “We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. There’s comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team, will keep those private and to ourselves.”
OutKick’s Armando Salguero contributed to this report.
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