Mike Vrabel Won’t Be With Patriots on Draft Day 3 as He Seeks Counseling Amid Dianna Russini Fiasco

Mike Vrabel taking a major step in the aftermath of the Dianna Russini scandal as the Patriots head coach by seeking counseling.

Mike Vrabel Won’t Be With Patriots on Draft Day 3 as He Seeks Counseling Amid Dianna Russini Fiasco

Mike Vrabel (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Mike Vrabel will miss the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft to seek counseling following the Dianna Russini scandal.
  • He expressed a commitment to being the best version of himself for his family and the Patriots organization.
  • The NFL has decided not to investigate Vrabel's behavior under its personal conduct policy.

Mike Vrabel is taking a big step. Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots, will skip the third and final day of the 2026 NFL Draft to seek counseling in the aftermath of the Dianna Russini scandal.

The Patriots appointed Vrabel last year. Vrabel exceeded all expectations by leading the AFC East franchise to a Super Bowl appearance in his first year. He helped Drake Maye establish himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.

Vrabel came close to becoming the first individual to win a Lombardi Trophy as a player and as a coach with the same team. However, the Patriots lost to the Seattle Seahawks. AP voters selected Vrabel as the Coach of the Year (his second), ahead of the Jaguars’ Liam Coen.

On April 9, the New York Post published photos of Vrabel holding hands with Dianna Russini, an NFL insider for The Athletic, at a luxurious hotel in Arizona. Despite downplaying the photos as innocent and harmless, Russini handed in her resignation to The Athletic. Russini’s action and Vrabel’s silence raised ample questions. The 50-year-old skipped the Patriots’ pre-draft press conference.

Vrabel finally broke his silence on Wednesday, a day before the draft in Pittsburgh, revealing that he will miss the third day of the draft. Vrabel said via Mike Reiss of 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.

While he refrained from addressing the photos directly, Vrabel explained, “I have to be the best husband, father, and coach that I possibly can be.”

Vrabel’s remarks follow the league’s decision to drop the scandal investigation:

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is not reviewing Vrabel’s behavior as part of the league’s personal conduct policy, which states players, coaches, and executives are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.

Mike Vrabel revealed some concerning news ahead of the NFL Draft

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs played a big part in the Patriots’ Super Bowl run last campaign. The All-Pro wideout is no longer with the club, and another one might follow him out of Boston as well.

Mike Vrabel Won’t Be With Patriots on Draft Day 3 as He Seeks Counseling Amid Dianna Russini Fiasco
Mike Vrabel (Image via IMAGO)

According to Reiss, WR Kayshon Boutte has told the Patriots that he will not attend the start of the voluntary training camp. The Patriots might end up trading the 1,159 yards and 9 touchdowns man (three years). Vrabel told Ethan Hurwitz of Sports Illustrated:

I don’t really try to have a sense of anything, why guys don’t come. It’s voluntary. But I will tell you that Kayshon has communicated, [and] I texted him and told him that I respected him for doing so. But for whatever, there’s different reasons why guys aren’t here or will miss a day.

As Boutte is not a first-round pick, he doesn’t have the leverage of a fourth-year extension. If the Patriots don’t give him a new contract before the end of the current NFL calendar, he will enter free agency.

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