Mike Vrabel says actions 'don't meet standard' but doesn't address Dianna Russini

• Vrabel stated he will seek counseling following the publication of intimate photos of him and former reporter Dianna Russini.
• The coach said his previous actions did not meet the standard he holds for himself.
• The Patriots organization and owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft have expressed their support for Vrabel.

FOXBOROUGH, MA — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel explained Thursday why he would be stepping away from the team for the third and final day of the 2026 NFL Draft – scheduled for Saturday, April 25 – that includes Rounds 4-7.

"My priorities are my family and this football team – in that order. And there is a balance there that I am going to create," Vrabel said. "My family needs me this weekend, and that's where I'll be.

"Out of respect for my family, I won't have any more answers or comments to touch on."

Speaking deliberately and with multiple pregnant pauses, Vrabel said he wanted to take accountability for his actions that affected the people he cared most about, namely the team, his family and fans. He reiterated his thanks to owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft and the players for their support.

"My previous actions don't meet the standard of what I hold myself to – they don't," Vrabel said.

Mike Vrabel explains decision to seek counseling

Vrabel told ESPN late Wednesday that he would be "committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend" amid the saga involving himself and former The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini and intimate photos of the two of them published by the New York Post.

Vrabel said he is confident in Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and his staff to handle the the third day of the draft but was unsure whether he'd miss additional time.

"When you prioritize your family first and your job that's what's required," he said. "That's what was necessary."

The Patriots have a voluntary organized team activity (OTA) scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 – Vrabel said "I'm not sure what's going to be needed of me" and that the team would be ready if he had to be away during football-related activities.

On April 7, the New York Post published pictures of Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, hugging on a rooftop and lounging poolside in bathing suits at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, ahead of the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix. Another photo showed the two interlocking fingers.

Asked why he initially categorized the initial photos' insinuation as "laughable," only to eventually seek counseling, Vrabel replied that it was a "private and personal matter."

"I don't think that those comments – I think that was an attempt to protect your family and I would never be dismissive," Vrabel said.

Vrabel took four questions and said "I'm excited by the challenge with both of those things" in reference to the Patriots and his family.

Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said that the team isn't "too worried" about Vrabel's pending absence Saturday.

“Just as far as the process that we have in place, the people we have in place," Wolf said. "It’s gonna be different without his presence there, but we feel really good about the people that we have in place to make up for it.”

The Patriots will be able to contact Vrabel, Wolf said, and the head coach will have final say on picks. But they will still miss his presence in the room, Wolf added, particularly in one underrated aspect of the draft's final day.

“The stability of him as a person, some of the leadership, some of the presence," Wolf said. "He does a nice job with the undrafted players for us, obviously he’s a tremendous recruiter, so maybe that’s something that we’ll be missing. But again, we’re very confident with the people that we have, with the process. The assistant coaches have done a tremendous job, as have the scouts, preparing for day three. And we’re excited about it.”

The franchise issued a statement of support of Vrabel seeking treatment and privacy hours after the New York Post’s “Page Six” column published additional photographs of the 50-year-old earlier Thursday. The photos showed Vrabel and woman at a New York City bar more than six years ago.

Vrabel previously addressed the media on Tuesday, April 21, and thanked reporters for privacy. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on April 20 that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed as much during a pre-draft interview with ESPN and added that it is a team matter, not a personal one.

After issuing a dismissive statement after the photos from Arizona first emerged, saying at the time that they didn't "deserve any further response," Vrabel addressed the situation with reporters for the first time on April 21 at the Patriots' facility in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," Vrabel said as part of an opening statement.

"Those have been positive and productive. 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.

"What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody − our fans, most importantly − will get the best version of me going forward."

Vrabel said he had a candid conversation with the players as the team began the first day of their offseason program, their first formal gathering since losing Super Bowl 60 to the Seattle Seahawks.

Dianna Russini deletes Twitter account

As Vrabel spoke, Russini deleted her social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Russini resigned from The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times, on April 14. In a letter sent to executive editor Steven Ginsberg, Russini wrote she stood behind every story she ever published. The company initially backed Russini publicly before announcing that it was continuing its standards review of her work.

Russini said her resignation was “not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”

Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a player and led the team to a Super Bowl in his first season as head coach in 2025. He previously coached the Tennessee Titans for six seasons. Vrabel is 68-48 in the regular season and 5-4 in the playoffs.

Contributing: Nate Davis