{"id":56169,"date":"2026-04-23T02:36:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-coach-vrabel-to-skip-draft-day-3-enters-counseling-after-resort-photos\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T02:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T06:36:37","slug":"patriots-coach-vrabel-to-skip-draft-day-3-enters-counseling-after-resort-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-coach-vrabel-to-skip-draft-day-3-enters-counseling-after-resort-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots Coach Vrabel to Skip Draft Day 3, Enters Counseling After Resort Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will be absent from Saturday’s final round of the NFL Draft as he enters counseling following the recent emergence of photographs showing him with veteran NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a resort in Arizona.<\/p>

Speaking Wednesday evening through ESPN, Vrabel explained his decision: “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.”<\/p>

Vrabel continued: “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.”<\/p>

The images showing Vrabel and Russini together at a Sedona resort were captured prior to the league’s annual meetings that commenced in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which released the photographs earlier this month.<\/p>

League officials confirmed last weekend that the NFL will not launch an investigation into Vrabel’s conduct.<\/p>

On Tuesday, Vrabel broke his silence on the situation for the first time, telling media members he has engaged in “difficult conversations with people I care about.”<\/p>

Both Vrabel and Russini, who are married to other people, issued written responses to the Post following the story’s publication, minimizing the significance of what the photographs showed. However, Russini stepped down from her position at The Athletic within a week after the Post’s report triggered an internal review at the sports publication owned by The New York Times.<\/p>

Vrabel revealed he discussed the matter with his players on Monday when they returned for voluntary workouts. Two Patriots players had been scheduled for media availability on Tuesday, but Vrabel chose to address reporters first. He also expressed his desire to prevent the controversy surrounding the Post photographs from overshadowing the NFL draft, which kicks off Thursday.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will be absent from Saturday’s final day of the NFL Draft as he begins counseling sessions. The decision follows the recent publication of photographs showing Vrabel with NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":56168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776926197104.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-eBX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56551,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/new-england-patriots-back-coach-vrabels-draft-absence-for-personal-counseling\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":0},"title":"New England Patriots Back Coach Vrabel’s Draft Absence for Personal Counseling","author":"Admin","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will skip the final day of the NFL draft to seek counseling following publication of photos showing him with a reporter at an Arizona resort. The team released a statement supporting his decision to prioritize family and personal well-being.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776980360584.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776980360584.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776980360584.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776980360584.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56483,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-coach-vrabel-to-attend-counseling-after-more-photos-surface\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":1},"title":"Patriots Coach Vrabel to Attend Counseling After More Photos Surface","author":"Admin","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Additional images from 2020 have emerged showing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in what appears to be an intimate moment with former NFL reporter Diana Russini. Vrabel announced he will seek counseling and miss part of this weekend's NFL draft.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776972138927.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58300,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-head-coach-mike-vrabel-returns-after-brief-leave-for-family-counseling\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":2},"title":"Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel Returns After Brief Leave for Family Counseling","author":"Admin","date":"April 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel returned to the team Monday after taking two days off to seek family counseling. The 50-year-old coach's brief absence followed public controversy over photos showing him with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777328642437.jpg?fit=450%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62891,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-qb-maye-supports-coach-vrabel-despite-off-field-controversy\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":3},"title":"Patriots QB Maye Supports Coach Vrabel Despite Off-Field Controversy","author":"Admin","date":"May 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye expressed unwavering support for head coach Mike Vrabel amid recent personal controversies. The young QB called Vrabel \"a great human being\" and said the issues won't distract the defending AFC champions this season.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778115070422.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778115070422.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778115070422.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778115070422.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51527,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/patriots-coach-vrabel-continues-draft-prep-amid-recent-controversy\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":4},"title":"Patriots Coach Vrabel Continues Draft Prep Amid Recent Controversy","author":"Admin","date":"April 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel remains actively involved in NFL draft preparations despite recent media scrutiny over photos with a reporter. Team executives say Vrabel is participating normally in the process leading up to next week's draft.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776116331711.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776116331711.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776116331711.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776116331711.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54176,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nfl-wont-investigate-patriots-coach-vrabel-over-photos-with-reporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":56169,"position":5},"title":"NFL Won’t Investigate Patriots Coach Vrabel Over Photos with Reporter","author":"Admin","date":"April 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Football League confirms it will not launch an investigation into New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel after photos surfaced showing him with sports journalist Diana Russini at an Arizona resort. Both individuals are married and called the images innocent, though Russini has resigned from her reporting position\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776529384652.jpg?fit=450%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}