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New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he doesn’t regret missing Day 3 of the NFL Draft to be with his family amid the scandal that resulted when Page Six published photos of him with Dianna Russini, The Athletic’s former NFL insider.
Vrabel, who led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl in his first year at the helm, was away from the facility for Saturday’s Day 3 of the draft. He said on Day 1 of the draft that he’d miss rounds 4 through 7, because, he said, “My family needs me this weekend, and that’s where I’ll be.”
Speaking Wednesday as the team opened OTAs, Vrabel was asked if he regretted the decision to miss part of the draft.
“No,” Vrabel said, “they moved around, and they made some trades. And, again, this draft was pretty unique. … Excited about the players that we got. Studied most of them. They (the front office) knew my affinity for some of the players that we took. And then, admittedly, I don’t know that I’m going to know the 300th player in every draft. So I was excited.”
Without Vrabel on Saturday of the draft, Eliot Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, led the way and had the final say on the team’s picks. The Patriots made six selections on that Saturday, starting with defensive back Karon Prunty in the fifth round.
Initially, the Patriots’ decision-makers planned to communicate with Vrabel throughout the day, but Wolf said the team changed course.
“We kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away,” Wolf said after the draft, “so we were not in contact with Mike other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK,’ kind of texts early this morning.”
The connection between Vrabel and Russini was first revealed through photos obtained by Page Six on April 7, and more photos of the pair emerged over the following weeks. Russini resigned from The Athletic, where she had worked since 2023, on April 14.
Vrabel returned to work on the Monday after the draft and has been a regular fixture since, assuming his normal role as head coach. On Wednesday, talking as spring practices began, Vrabel didn’t rule out any absences down the line.
“I can only tell you I’m going to be there today in full force,” Vrabel said. “And I mean that because who knows what’s going to come up? Anything could happen. I’m going to focus on today and the excitement that we’ve had and that we’ve built so far.”
Vrabel took multiple questions on Wednesday about whether the scandal and his absence have been distractions and how players have viewed his leadership. He gave long answers, but was quick to pivot to football matters and what the team is working on this spring.
“We all have to deal with things outside of (football),” he said. “My focus, and obviously the excitement that I have for coaching, is what is most important right now.”
When asked how he has balanced family and football, he said the process has been “really good.”
“I appreciate my family. I love Jen (his wife), I love the boys, I love my personal friends,” Vrabel said. “Then this spring is focused on the coaching staff (and) the players, more importantly. But seeing the coaches in the second year and how smooth the conversations are. ‘Hey, we love this play, and how do we make it better?’ Then they go out and find ways to make it better. Then we have conversations and decide on a few things that we’re doing to try to enhance the things we did last year.”
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