New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel returned to work April 27, according to an ESPN report, after he missed the last day of the 2026 NFL Draft, as he was "committed to seeking counseling."
Vrabel also stated he wanted to spend time with his family after photos were leaked showing him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini, formerly of The Athletic, together at an adults-only Arizona resort before the annual NFL meetings in late March.
Addition photos of Vrabel and a woman believed to be Russini were released by TMZ and the New York Post on April 22 and 23.
Vrabel, who spent six seasons as coach of the Tennessee Titans, was not with the Patriots April 25 during the last four rounds of the draft.
"My priorities are my family and this football team — in that order," Vrabel, who led the Patriots to the Super Bowl last season, said April 23. "And there is a balance there that I am going to create. My family needs me this weekend, and that's where I'll be."
"I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people I care most about," Vrabel said April 23. "My previous actions don't meet the standard that I hold myself to. What I believe is best for the two most important things in my life, my family and the football team, is to work through this together.
"That's going to start, that has started, that'll continue this weekend and that'll continue for however long that takes for me to complete that promise of me giving them the best version of me possible."
Russini, who also covered Vrabel with he was with the Titans, resigned from her job with The Athletic on April 14.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published," she wrote in her resignation letter. "When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.
"In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
"Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so 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 coached the Titans from 2018 to 2023 and led them to three playoff berths and two AFC South championships. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading the Titans to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
He was fired after the 2023 season after losing 18 of his final 24 games. He went 54-45 overall with the Titans.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Vrabel back with Patriots after missing NFL draft Day 3, per report