New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has announced that he will skip the third day of the NFL Draft this weekend so that he can focus on his family and "seek counseling" after images were published of him spending time at an Arizona hotel with sports reporter Dianna Russini.
Despite previously insisting that the photos of himself and Russini—in which they were seen hugging, holding hands, and soaking in a pool together—were taken out of context, Vrabel, 50, has now confirmed to ESPN that he will take a short break from coaching the Patriots in order to undergo counseling, and spend time with his wife, Jen Vrabel, and their two sons.
"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," he told the outlet late on Wednesday.
"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. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result."
ESPN notes that Vrabel and his family will spend the weekend "outside of Massachusetts," where he has been based since the start of 2025, when he was named as the new head coach of the Patriots, but did not specify a location.
It is also unclear when Vrabel plans to return to the Patriots, however he noted that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden will be leading the draft in his absence.
The news comes just hours after the father of two publicly commented on the photos of himself and Russini—who resigned from her role at The Athletic after the outlet launched an investigation into her behavior—for the first time since they were published by Page Six.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Vrabel admitted that he'd had to have "some difficult conversations with people I care about—my family, the organization, the coaches, the players."
"Those have been positive and productive," he went on. "We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field you have to make good decisions. That includes me, that starts we me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction."
Vrabel has not said where he will spend the weekend—however he and his wife still own property outside of Massachusetts, in Tennessee, where he previously spent six seasons coaching the Tennessee Titans.
Shortly before joining the Patriots, Vrabel and his spouse sold their longtime Nashville-area abode for $4.8 million in October 2024, having purchased the property for $1.9 million in 2018.
The property, which is situate on 2 wooded acres, had been built in 2017, and featured six bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
However, seven months before selling that property, he picked up another Nashville dwelling, a six-bedroom, four-bath home in Brentwood, TN, for $1.78 million, as first reported by the New York Post.
That property spans across 4,065 square feet and was built in 1970.
Vrabel's personal life has been thrust into the headlines of late after Page Six released photographs that showed the Patriots coach and Russini, 43, spending time together at the Ambiente in Sedona, where two-person bungalows cost up to $2,160.
According to the outlet, Vrabel and Russini—who has been married to Shake Shack executive, Kevin Goldschmidt, since 2020—enjoyed breakfast on the patio at 10:30am on March 28, followed by an hour spent in the hot tub.
They were also seen on the roof of the hotel, which offers sweeping views of the Red Rock formations.
According to the source, the pair even danced together at one point.