New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, amid a controversy over his visit to an Arizona resort with then-Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, is headed for counseling that will keep him away from the team for the final day of the NFL draft.
Vrabel will be with the club when it makes its first selection at No. 31 overall on Thursday, then when it chooses players late in the second and third rounds of Friday. He will be absent for the last four rounds on Saturday.
The 50-year-old coach said Wednesday night, according to ESPN, “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. 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.”
Vrabel and Russini both have spouses. The New York Post published photos of the two of them in Sedona, Ariz., ahead of league meetings in Phoenix last month.
Russini resigned from The Athletic, where she was lead NFL reporter, last week amid an investigation by the New York Times-run organization into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.
Vrabel spoke openly to the media on Tuesday about the fallout.
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” he said. “You know, 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. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. You never want to be the cause of a distraction. And when I — those are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team, with the team, we’ll keep those private and to ourselves.”
Vrabel became the head coach of the Patriots — the team for which he played — ahead of the 2025 season and guided New England to Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13.
Vrabel earned his second AP NFL Coach of the Year honor last season after winning the award in 2021 when he led the Titans. He was Tennessee’s head coach from 2018-23.
