Family, Patriots Remain Priorities For Mike Vrabel Following Dianna Russini Photos

FOXBORO --- Roughly half an hour before the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke from the heart. Discussing the off-the-field story that's rocked the NFL this month, where Vrabel was seen embracing former NFL reporter Dianna Russini in August, the Patriots head coach thanked several people for their support.

"(I'm) grateful for for Robert and Jonathan (Kraft) for their support," Vrabel said in a pre-draft press conference. "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, (they) are the ones that allow us to to coach, to coach them, and I appreciate their support, and we got a lot of great men in there, and I appreciate each and every one, like I told you before. My priorities are my family and this football team, and in that order."

His press conference comes after a month in the public spotlight, as photos of Vrabel and Russini were published in the New York Post. Photos showed Vrabel and Russini, both separately married, embracing and holding hands in Arizona at the NFL Annual Meetings. Other photos were later released, where Vrabel and Russini were spotted in a dimly-lit New York City bar in 2020. Russini has since resigend from her role as the Athletic's top NFL reporter.

After these photos were released, and Vrabel had previously called any speculation surrounding them "laughable," the Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker later told ESPN he was stepping away for the third day of the NFL draft for out-of-state counseling.

"When you prioritize your family first and and your job, that's what's required, and that's what was necessary," Vrabel said when asked about stepping away for the day. "Got a lot of support from everybody involved, and so that's what I was able to do, and willingly, I want to do that, and that's important."

On Wednesday, the Patriots released a statement in support of Vrabel's decision.

“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being. 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," the team wrote.

Feb 5, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to media members at the Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

“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 Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”

"We Never Want To Be The Cause Of A Distraction"

Earlier this week, Vrabel mentioned that he spoke to his team before voluntary offseason workouts. He said he wanted to address the team before he, or any players, spoke to the media.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the players, those have been positive and productive," he said. "We believe in order to be successful on and off the field that we have to make good decisions. That includes me, that starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. Those are comments and questions that I've answered for the team, and with the team and we'll keep those private and to ourselves."

Just two days later and Vrabel continued to reiterate that he didn't want to be a distraction for the football team.

"I can only say that whatever my family needs, that's that's what I'm going to provide, but I also understand what's needed for me here," said Vrabel. "I'm confident that just like last year, we'll come out of this draft with players that our fans are going to enjoy watching, and they're going to be great teammates, and they're going to help us win."

He also said that he doesn't know if he'll miss any football activities in the near future, saying that "whatever my family needs, then that's what I'm going to provide."

The NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. tonight with the Patriots picking at 31st overall. The team has 11 picks throughout the weekend, with eight of them scheduled for the third day (round four through seven).

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