Get NFL prospect scouting reports, live first-round grades and team breakdowns in SI’s draft tracker.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been the story of the NFL for the past few weeks and it has been for all the wrong reasons, as decisions he has made in his personal life have gone viral and have led to him choosing to miss the final day of the NFL draft to attend counseling.
Vrabel was back on the job Thursday for the first round of the draft, which came just hours after new photos emerged that showed Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini kissing at a New York City bar way back in March of 2020. This came just a few weeks after the New York Post broke the Vrabel-Russini scandal by showing photos of them spending time together at a secluded resort in Arizona.
Vrabel spoke to the media Thursday night before the draft started.
“I want to address the news regarding my current situation,” Vrabel said. “I understand that there are questions, but I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about: my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans. My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to. They don’t. And what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life: my family and this football team, is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I’d give them, which is the best version of me—and that’s what we’re going to do. And that’s going to start, that has started, and that'll continue this weekend, and it'll continue for however long it takes for me to give them—and to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible. And that's what's going to happen and that's what's been happening.”
A few hours later the Patriots selected Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu with the 28th pick in the first round.
The Patriots shared a video from their draft room that shows the team making the pick and then Vrabel talking to Lomu on the phone.
The conversation was an awkward one, considering everything that’s going on with Vrabel outside of football.
Vrabel: “Caleb, how are you? This is coach Vrabel.”
Lomu: “I’m doing good coach, how you doing?”
Vrabel: “I’m doing great man. Congratulations. We’re excited to have you. I hope you’re with your family and you’re enjoying this and we can’t wait to get you here and give you a chance to help this football team.”
With everything going on in his personal life, and all the attention that has brought both online and in other forms of media, one has to believe Vrabel isn’t doing great right now but he had put on a good face in that moment with Lomu.
Vrabel then gave the phone over to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who welcomeed Lomu to the organization.
Here’s that video:
How the Patriots will handle the final day of the draft without Mike Vrabel
Vrabel will be at work on Friday for the second day (rounds three and four) of the draft, which starts at 7 p.m. ET. Then he will leave the team for counseling on Saturday.
Eliott Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, will lead the way on the final day. The Patriots currently will have seven picks on Saturday after trading one of their late rounders on Thursday night to move up to the No. 28 spot.
Wolf spoke about Vrabel’s role in the draft and how it will be business as usual without the head coach on Saturday.
“Obviously, he's a tremendous recruiter, so that's maybe something that we'll be missing,” Wolf said. “But again, we're very confident in the people we have with the process. The assistant coaches have done a tremendous job, as have the scouts, preparing for day three. And we're excited about it.”
More NFL Draft from Sports Illustrated
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished | Modified 
ANDY NESBITT
Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.
Share on XFollow anezbittShare on FacebookShare on XHome/NFLOriginal Article
