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Mike Vrabel

Cold Play: Vrabel Photos Surface

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Newly surfaced photos appear to show Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini kissing in a New York City bar back in 2020.

The New York Post’s Page Six published the photos Thursday, one day after the New England Patriots head coach announced that he will miss Day 3 of the NFL draft on Saturday to attend counseling.

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The scandal began on April 7 when the Post published photos of Vrabel and Russini, then an NFL reporter for The Athletic, holding hands and hugging at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona.

The pictures published Thursday were supposedly taken at the Tribeca Tavern in the early hours of March 11, 2020 and appear to show the pair sitting close together at the bar and sharing a kiss. “They were kissing and they were all over each other. He had a ring on,” an eyewitness told Page Six.

At the time of the photos on March 11, 2020 — remembered as the day COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization — Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans and already married to his current wife, while Russini was engaged to her current husband.

Vrabel, 50, gave a statement to the Post for Thursday’s story.

“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,” he said. “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,” Vrabel continued. “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 will be with the Patriots on Thursday night when they make their first selection in the 2026 NFL Draft at No. 31 overall, and also when they choose players late in the second and third rounds on Friday. He will be absent for the last four rounds on Saturday.

“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being,” the Patriots said in a statement on Thursday. “Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.

“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and (executive vice president of player personnel) Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”

Russini resigned from The Athletic last week amid an investigation by the New York Times-run organization into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.

When the Arizona photos initially came out, Vrabel said the pictures “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”

Vrabel became the head coach of the Patriots — one of the teams 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.

–Field Level Media

 

Vrabel Back After 2-Day Break

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FOXBOROUGH – (Wire Service Report) – Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was back with his New England front office colleagues on Monday, two days after he voluntarily left the team to seek counseling amid a controversy over his visit to an Arizona resort with then-Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.

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Vrabel was photographed in Utah at a Salt Lake City airport boutique on Saturday, when Rounds 4-7 of the NFL draft transpired.

ESPN reported Vrabel was in “constant contact via email and text message” with the Patriots during his brief absence and returned Monday to resume “full responsibilities as head coach.” The Patriots claimed not to be in contact with Vrabel while he was away from the team and stated that the only messages exchanged were sent from team employees to Vrabel, according to vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.

“We kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away, so we were not in contact with Mike (Saturday) other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early (in the) morning,” Wolf said.

The 50-year-old coach said he felt family counseling was necessary to move forward after the alleged tryst with Russini became public.

“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,” he said.

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 insider, amid an investigation by the New York Times-run organization into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.

Vrabel spoke openly to the media last Tuesday about the fallout.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during the draft that the league is not considering punishment or further investigation into the matter under the “off-field conduct” policy.

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.

–Field Level Media

Vrabel Addresses Controversy; Draft

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FOXBOROUGH – (Wire Service Report) – 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.

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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.

–Field Level Media

“Nothing Beats Playing in the NFL”

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SAN JOSE – New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will be in an exclusive club if he can steer the Patriots to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. In fact, Vrabel will be the club’s only member.

A New England win would make Vrabel the only person to win a Super Bowl as a player and as a head coach for the same franchise.

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Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a linebacker, is in his first season as New England’s head coach. Gary Kubiak is the only other person who reached the Super Bowl with the same team as both a coach and a player; he directed Denver to a 24-10 victory over Carolina in Super Bowl 50, but was winless in three trips to the Super Bowl as a player for the Broncos.

Tom Flores, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson each won a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach, but none did so with the same team.

To Vrabel, there are just as many similarities as there are obvious differences between playing and coaching in the Super Bowl.

“You have to be focused,” he said. “You have to be locked in and be prepared, and be able to be in a state of mind to do your job and help the football team whether you’re a player or you’re a coach.”

Vrabel is the eighth head coach in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl in his first season with a team. That group includes Kubiak, Jim Caldwell, Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, George Seifert, Red Miller and Don McCafferty.

The Patriots went 4-13 in each of the last two seasons, but Vrabel guided them to a 14-3 record and an AFC East title in Year 1. That stellar regular season tied the largest single-season improvement by an NFL team (10 games), matching the feat accomplished by the 1999 Colts and 2008 Dolphins.

Adding New England’s three playoff wins to the equation makes it the single greatest turnaround year over year in league history.

“(Vrabel’s) just got a great sense of what’s needed,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said earlier this week. “He played, obviously, and at a high level, so he knows the players’ perspective, but he’s not just strictly, like, ‘player’s coach’ because there’s never any doubt who’s in charge. I think the way he’s been all year has just prepared us all to meet this moment, because you can see the vision and the belief, and you know he has your back.”

Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans’ head coach from 2018 to 2023, but was fired after the 2023 season. He worked as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns last season.

“I would tell you that the thing I learned most about last year is that there’s nothing that I want to do more than to coach this football team — that’s what I learned,” Vrabel said. “Being around players is so critical and the connections that you make, and you can’t lose sight of that. No matter how long you’ve been a head coach, finding a way to make connections with players is important.”

The Patriots failed to qualify for the playoffs in four of the last five seasons before this Super Bowl run. A victory Sunday would earn New England its seventh Super Bowl title, which would break a tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the NFL record.

“I’m a little bit more reserved here in this role,” Vrabel said. “A lot more to focus on I think, and think about. Make sure everybody’s moving in the right direction, being where we’re supposed to be. But it’s certainly a unique feeling. I’ve always told our players to play as long as you can. Then you have to get a real job. There’s nothing that beats playing in the National Football League, but this is pretty close.”

–Field Level Media