Mike Vrabel Addresses His ‘Actions’ in First Statement Since Release of Dianna Russini Pictures from 2020
The Patriots head coach was seen with his hand on the fired NFL reporter's thigh in the newly-released pictures
NEED TO KNOW Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said his previous actions "don't meet the standard that I hold myself to" before the 2026 NFL Draft began on Thursday, April 23 Vrabel previously said he will be missing the third day of the draft to attend counseling with his family A few hours earlier, newly-released photos showed Vrabel and Dianna Russini kissing in an N. Y. C.
bar in March 2020 New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel took accountability for his previous actions after newly-released photos from six years ago show him and fired reporter Dianna Russini kissing. "I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about,” Vrabel, 50, told reporters ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23. "My family, this football team, the organization and the fans.
" Vrabel announced that he would miss the third day of the draft to attend counseling, which he referenced in his comments on Thursday. “My priorities are my family and this football and in that order," he said. "There's a balance there that I’m going to create.
My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be. " Mike Vrabel; Dianna Russini Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty Vrabel later told reporters that he could not say for certain if he would miss any further football activities in the next few weeks. He also declined to go into further detail on what counseling would entail, calling it a "private and personal matter.