Mike Vrabel stepped away from the New England Patriots during the third day of the NFL Draft and had previously said he’d be getting “counseling” following the soap opera revelations of his relationship with reporter Dianna Russini. Well, speaking with reporters for the first time since the draft, the coach offered an update on the process of getting things back in order.
“Really good,” Vrabel said. “I appreciate that my family is great. I love [wife] Jen [Vrabel], I love the boys, I love my personal friends…”
This is nice.
It obviously doesn’t mean the scandal that plagued Vrabel throughout April is over. No telling what another photo drop of Vrabel and Russini together, of which there have been a few, might do. And his update on Wednesday is also only his opinion and we don’t know how his family members feel.
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But this seems positive.
Vrabel seemed at ease explaining how he’s dealt with the distraction of his personal life perhaps interfering with his professional assignment of guiding an NFL team.
“Again, we all have to deal with things outside of here,” Vrabel said. “My focus, and obviously the excitement that I have for coaching, is what is most important right now. This is a great opportunity.
“The spring, we don’t have to worry about opponents. Our schedule is pretty much the same. The players just have a routine, and each and every day in the spring is similar. But it’s just about teaching. It’s about teaching these guys the scheme.
“This is the time in the spring where they can focus on not only conditioning, but all the details that are going to help them. That’s really all I know and that’s really all I want to be able to do.”
This may signal Vrabel is turning the corner on the scandal.
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There were no pointed questions about his “counseling” sessions. Or his marriage and whether or how it has survived.
Vrabel instead was asked about a possible addition to the New England wide receiver room — everyone knows the Patriots want to add Eagles receiver A.J. Brown in a trade — even if no one’s name was specified.
And the coach volunteered the names of the players not present for this voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program.
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So this felt like football business as usual.
That, obviously, is quite a turn from the last time Vrabel talked to reporters and explained his situation amid the scandal caused by his relationship with Russini and the photos of the two that were published by the New York Post and then widely amplified elsewhere.
Those photos, in case you need specifics, included Vrabel and Russini — both married to other people — sharing time together at a Sedona, Arizona, resort. They lounged by the pool together, shared a hot tub and there were photos of them on the roof of a bungalow embracing and holding hands.
Russini eventually resigned her post at The Athletic and shut down her social media accounts as a result.
Vrabel obviously kept his job but had meetings with ownership and his players about the matter. He also missed the final day of the NFL Draft to be with his family while also promising to take more time to make himself a better person.
“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 said in a statement released to ESPN on April 23.
“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.”
