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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel has further addressed his upcoming counseling leave ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.
Amid ongoing releases of photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini spending time together—one at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Ariz. prior to the annual owners meetings, the other during an encounter at a New York City bar in 2020—Vrabel announced in a statement to ESPN’s Mike Vrabel that he plans to seek counseling this weekend. He then addressed the media at the team’s facility ahead of the first round of Thursday’s draft.
“I just want to reiterate the gratitude that … you guys have shown in a personal and private matter,” Vrabel began. “I want to address the news regarding my current situation. 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.”
“I'm grateful for Robert and Jonathan [Kraft] for their support,” he continued “I'm thankful for the coaches and their support, most especially, I'm thankful for the players. They're the ones that allow us to win games, that allow us to coach them. I appreciate their support. We've got a lot of great men in there and I appreciate each and every one of them. Like I told you before, my priorities are my family and this football team—in that order. And there's a balance there that I am going to create. And my family needs me this weekend and that's where I'll be. But I'm confident in the people that we have. I'm confident in the preparation, thankful for Eliot [Wolf] and his staff that have prepared us for this night, for this weekend. I ask that somehow you can allow those players that we bring onto this football team, allow them the excitement and joy of recognizing a dream and starting a journey. I hope that you can do that, and again I'm focused on this team moving forward and out of respect to my family I won't have any more comments or answers to touch on. I appreciate it. Thank you.”
Vrabel, 50, helped lead New England to a berth in Super Bowl LX last season. The team issued a statement prior to his press conference on Thursday, supporting his decision to “prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being.”
Russini, meanwhile, resigned from her position as senior NFL reporter at The Athletic last week, while saying that she refused to let the ongoing media narrative define her or her career. Before Russini’s resignation, the publication had opened an investigation into her conduct and her relationship with Vrabel.
New England holds 11 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, including the No. 31 selection in Thursday night’s first round.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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