Patriots Newcomer Reveals How Mike Vrabel Addressed Team About Scandal originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Mike Vrabel’s scandal involving former NFL insider Dianna Russini has been all the talk around the New England Patriots in the last few weeks.

Vrabel made a surprise appearance with the media on April 21. Local media were expecting to speak to two players, but instead, Vrabel spoke publicly about the scandal for the first time and noted that he had addressed his team and felt it was unfair for them to appear before the media before he did.

Vrabel’s message to the team has been kept in-house, but Patriots newcomer Alija Vera-Tucker shed some light on the message Vrabel sent. He noted that Vrabel was open and honest with the team.

“I think just being open and honest,” Vera-Tucker said on Thursday. “I think that’s a key in any relationship. I give credit to him; he’s very honest with us. Very open as well. I don’t think a lot of people would be able to do that, so I respect that a lot. And like I said, I’m excited to be coached by Vrabel. I think he’s a phenomenal coach in this league.”

Vrabel’s scandalous relationship with Russini was not something that violates any team or league guidelines. However, it has become somewhat of a distraction and ultimately led to Vrabel missing Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

Vrabel missed the final day of the draft to attend counseling, noting that his family is his No. 1 priority and that he is unsure if he will miss other football activities to be with them.

Patriots’ Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Breaks Silence On Mike Vrabel Scandal originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The scandal involving Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini has been a hot topic over the last few weeks, and one New England Patriots legend recently shared his thoughts.

By now, every Patriots fan knows about the pictures released of Vrabel and Russini. The pictures essentially illustrate an affair between the two that has been going on for years. Both are married, and Russini has resigned from her position at The Athletic. As for Vrabel, the NFL has noted that his actions have not violated the personal conduct policy, and the Patriots have seemed to support him as he figures things out.

Vrabel spoke to the media before the NFL Draft and noted that he is committed to coaching the Patriots and being the best version of himself. He missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend counseling, which raised questions about whether the scandal would, in fact, impact his ability to do his job. Vrabel has noted that he has already addressed the team on the matter, and Rodney Harrison spoke on how that message may have been received in the locker room.

“The one saving grace, no matter what goes on in your life, has always been an NFL locker room. Those players are going through some of the same things Mike Vrabel is going through with some of the temptations, some of the things that’s out there, things they struggle with,” Harrison told MassLive’s Karen Guregian. “So they have a great deal of empathy. So I think they’ll understand, and they’ll forgive Mike. I think it’ll bring the locker room even closer together.

“You still might have a few holes. A few who might be skeptical, ‘Well he said this, he said that’ but the majority in that locker room, they love Mike Vrabel and they respect him. They know he’s a human being, he’s a good person and he made a mistake. And, they’re going to forgive him.”

Harrison spent 15 years in the NFL and was with the Patriots from 2003 to 2008. He and Vrabel were teammates and won two Super Bowls together. He knows Vrabel better than most media personalities speaking on the scandal, and he also has the perspective of how things are inside a locker room.