New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, the former coach of the Tennessee Titans, will miss Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 25 to seek counseling.
Vrabel released a statement on April 22 that he would step away from the draft after the first two days. The statement came two weeks after photos were published of Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini embracing on the rooftop of an adults-only resort in Arizona during the NFL meetings in March.
Vrabel did not say in his statement why he was seeking counseling. It came a day after Vrabel said in a release that he recently had "difficult conversations with people I care about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players."
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Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft will take place on April 25. New England currently has eight picks in those rounds, including two in the fourth round.
In his most recent statement sent to ESPN, Vrabel said, "As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization, and this team that I was going 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. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.
"I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person."
Vrabel and Russini are married to different people. Russini resigned from The Athletic 10 days after the photos surfaced. Russini had worked at The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times, as a Senior NFL Insider since 2023. Before that, she worked at ESPN for nearly a decade.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Vrabel to miss Day 3 of NFL draft to seek counseling