ESPN’s Mike Reiss revealed late Wednesday night that New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wouldn’t be with the team on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft as he steps away from the team to seek counseling amid the fallout of his scandal with Diann Russini.
Nearly three weeks ago, Page Six published photos of Vrabel and Russini, who recently resigned from The Athletic, holding hands and cozying up with each other at an Arizona hotel during the NFL’s annual league meeting.
Just hours before the star of the first round of the 2026 draft, the Patriots released a statement addressing Vrabel taking time away from the team to handle his personal crisis.
“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being,” the Patriots said in a statement. “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.
“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.”
The Pats have 11 picks in the 2026 draft — one on Day 1 (No. 31 overall), two on Day 2 (Nos. 64 and 95 overall), and eight on Day 3 (Nos. 125, 131, 171, 191, 198, 202, 212, and 247 overall).
The NFL has already decided not to investigate Vrabel for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with Russini, who left ESPN in 2023 to become the senior NFL insider at The Athletic.
Russini announced her resignation days ago amid The Athletic’s investigation into her and Vrabel’s relationship.
Read the full article here
