Mike Vrabel will seek counseling in the wake of being photographed with NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort.
The New England Patriots head coach, 50, said that he will not be with the team for Day 3 of the NFL Draft on Saturday and will instead focus on family and personal matters.
“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,” Vrabel told ESPN on Wednesday night.
“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.”
He added that he will spend the weekend outside Massachusetts with his wife, Jen, and their two sons, while remaining in contact with the Patriots’ staff as they make their final selections.
Vrabel did not mention the images specifically, but said that he hopes counseling will help him return with a “stronger resolve.”
“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,” he added.
Earlier this month, Page Six originally published pictures of Vrabel and Russini, 43, holding hands and hugging at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Ariz., which is set against the Brins Mesa mountain range.
Vrabel and Russini — who married Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 — also dined together, having breakfast on March 28, around 10:15 a.m. local time, as seen in new exclusive photos obtained by Page Six.
Multiple eyewitnesses claimed that the two dined alone, which seems to be supported by the pictures we obtained. Sources close to Russini insist that the sports reporter and the NFL coach were joined by a group of friends for the morning meal.
In a statement to Page Six at the time, Vrabel called the initial photos “laughable” and that they “show a completely innocent interaction.”
Russini, who, like Vrabel, has two children, told us, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
She resigned from her role at The Athletic, the New York Times-owned sports outlet, one week after the initial images surfaced and is now the center of a company investigation.
“I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30,” Russini wrote in part in her resignation letter, obtained by Page Six.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Vrabel addressed the scandal for the first time earlier this week at a pre-NFL Draft press conference, acknowledging he has been having “difficult conversations” with his family in the wake of the photos.
He also thanked reporters for their “patience,” calling it a “personal and private matter.”
“What I can promise you is my family, this organization, this team, the staff, the coaches and the fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward,” Vrabel said Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.
“And that’s what I know and I’m excited to do that.”
