Questions continue to linger about New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and fallout from the scandal involving NFL insider Dianna Russini.
Last week, Vrabel, 50, released a statement indicating that he would be seeking “counseling,” which would force him to miss participating in day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 25.
However, ESPN’s Peter Schrager painted a different picture during coverage of the draft on Saturday.
“I’ve been told, from Patriot sources, that they are in constant contact with Vrabel throughout the day,” Schrager said on air.
Shortly after his report, Schrager, 44, took to social media with a clarification.
“Following up on the Vrabel report, it was my understanding that Coach Vrabel was going to be in contact with the staff via phone/text, but I’ve learned that in the end, both Vrabel and the team ultimately chose not to interrupt him and his family during Day 3 of the Draft,” he posted via X on Saturday.
Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed Vrabel’s involvement on day 3 of the Draft during a press conference on Saturday evening.
“So, last night we kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away, so we were not in contact with Mike today other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early this morning,” he told reporters.
At the end of the second day of the Draft, Wolf said Vrabel offered his “words of encouragement” for Saturday.
“He knows our process, and again, we talked about what kind of players we needed to add,” Wolf explained. “We knew what kind of players that he liked, and obviously we drafted some of the guys that he had an affinity for today.”
Vrabel announced his intention to attend counseling in a statement to ESPN on Wednesday, April 22.
“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,” he said. “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 has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, and the couple share sons Tyler, 25, and Carter, 24.
The statement continued, “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.”
Vrabel has been a hot topic since earlier this month, when photos were published of him and NFL insider Dianna Russini looking cozy at a luxury resort in Arizona. Since then, other photos of the pair have been published in various outlets, including images of the pair from as far back as March 2020.
Russini, 43, has been married to her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, since September 2020, and the couple share two children.
Despite Vrabel entering counseling, neither he nor Russini have explicitly stated that their relationship over the years has been anything other than professional.
