New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft broke his silence about the scandal involving Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
“We’re privileged to have Mike as our head coach,” Kraft, 85, said Friday, July 17, on ESPN’s First Take. “No one is infallible.”
Kraft added, “What’s great about Mike is he has great intellectual knowledge about football – all the technical skills — [and] he relates to the players beautifully. He’s someone I have a strong belief and faith in. I hope he’s going to be our head coach for many years to come.”
Vrabel, 50, has been a hot topic since early April, when he and Russini, 43, were seen together linking hands and sharing a hot tub at a luxury Arizona resort in photos published by Page Six.
Both Vrabel — who was named head coach of the Patriots in January 2025 — and Russini are married to other people and share children with their respective spouses. (Vrabel and his wife, Jen, tied the knot in 1999, while Russini and her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, wed in 2020.)
After the first set of photos came to light, Vrabel and Russini were subsequently seen together in other pictures and videos from over the years published by multiple outlets, including Page Six publishing additional snapshots of the pair kissing at a New York City bar in March 2020.
While both Vrabel and Russini have stopped short of publicly admitting to any infidelity, Vrabel briefly took time away from the Patriots during the 2026 NFL Draft in April to seek counseling with his wife.
“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 said in a statement to ESPN at the time. “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.”
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 received the support of the organization in the wake of the scandal, including Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye.
“We’re here for coach, we love coach,” Maye, 23, told Boston’s 7News in April. “What he’s done for us this past year, you can’t speak into words.”
Maye continued, “Thankfully, he’s our head coach and I know he’s doing some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’s gonna come back.”
