Vrabel announced he would seek counseling, miss part of NFL draft
“I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about,” Vrabel said Thursday. “My family, this football team, the organization and the fans.”
Vrabel, a former New England linebacker who led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as coach, announced Thursday that he would miss Day 3 of the upcoming NFL Draft as he begins counseling. Hours later, Page Six published the new photos.
“My priorities are my family and this football team and in that order. There’s a balance there that I’m going to create. My family needs me this weekend, and that’s where I’ll be,” Vrabel said.
The tabloid said the images were taken in a New York City bar on March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six. “He had a ring on.”
At the time the photos were taken, Vrabel was already married to his wife, Jen.
The new images were published hours before the start of the NFL draft’s first round.
TMZ Sports also released a photo of Vrabel and Russini; this time, the photo showed the two at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Jan. 31, 2024, TMZ Sports reported.
Vrabel was fired from his six-season-long head coaching stint with the Tennessee Titans just weeks prior, on Jan. 9, 2024.
A witness told TMZ Sports that the two were “quite comfortable together,” and that the witness thought the woman who was by his side “was his wife based on their body language.”
When asked if he would anticipate missing any games, Vrabel said that he could not answer that.
“I could only say that whatever my family needs, that’s what I’m going to provide,” Vrabel said.
ESPN NFL Nation reporter Mike Reis also posted a statement on X from the Patriots, who partially addressed the controversy:
“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 statement read. “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.”
On Tuesday, Vrabel addressed the media for the first time since the incident, saying he “had some difficult conversations with people that I care about — my family, the organization, the coaches, the players.”
Late Wednesday night, Vrabel told ESPN, “I want 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.”
The original photos
Photos of Vrabel and Russini holding hands in a pool at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos earlier this month.
Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict.
Russini has since resigned from The Athletic, which said it was conducting an internal review.