Mike Vrabel will undergo counseling after being photographed with NFL reporter Deanna Russini at an Arizona resort.
The New England Patriots head coach (50) announced that he will not be with the team on the third day of the NFL Draft on Saturday to focus on family and personal matters.
“As I said the other day, I made a promise to my family, this organization and this team that I would give them the best version of myself that I can be,” Vrabel told ESPN Wednesday night.
“In order to do so, I have committed to counseling starting this weekend. This is something I have thought about a lot and if I were going to do counseling it would be something I would advise players to do.”
He added that he plans to spend the weekend with his wife, Jen, and their two sons in suburban Massachusetts while communicating with Patriots staff who will make the final selection.
Vrabel did not specifically address the images, but said he hoped counseling would help him return with “more determination.”
“I’ve always wanted to lead by example and believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach possible,” he added.
Earlier this month, Page Six obtained photos of Vrabel and Russini, 43, holding hands and hugging each other at the Ambiente Resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Vrabel and Russini, who married Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020, also dined together at breakfast around 10:15 a.m. local time on March 28, as seen in new exclusive photos obtained by Page Six.
Multiple witnesses have claimed that the two were eating alone, and the photos we have obtained seem to support that. Sources close to Russini claim that a group of friends attended the morning meal with her and the NFL coach.
In a statement to Page Six, Vrabel called the first photo “funny” and said it “shows a completely innocent interaction.”
“The photo does not represent a group of six people playing during the day,” said Russini, who, like Vrabel, has two children. “Like most NFL journalists, the reporter is interacting with sources away from the stadium and other venues.”
But a week after the first images surfaced, she resigned from her position at The Athletic, a sports outlet owned by The New York Times, and is now at the center of an internal investigation.
“I have now decided to resign before my current contract expires on June 30,” Russini wrote in part of his resignation letter obtained by Page Six.
“I do so not because I accept the narrative built around this episode, but because I refuse to give it further oxygen or let it define me or my career.”
Meanwhile, Vrabel spoke publicly about the scandal for the first time during a pre-NFL Draft press conference earlier this week, admitting he was having “difficult conversations” with his family in the wake of the photos.
He also said this was a “personal and private matter” and thanked reporters for their “patience”.
“What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, this team, the staff, the coaches, and most importantly the fans, are going to give me the best going forward,” Vrabel said Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.
“That’s something I know and I’m excited to do.”
