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Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Returns to OTAs After Brief Absence for Counseling
Mike Vrabel addressed reporters for the first time since April photographs surfaced. He said his family is great and that he loves his wife and sons.
Jun 1, 9:04 AM·1m read1 source
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel returned to organized team activities on May 27, 2026, and faced reporters for the first time since resort photographs from Sedona, Arizona, appeared in April. ” He added that he loves his wife Jen and loves his sons. Vrabel had stepped away from the team during the NFL Draft after committing to counseling the weekend of April 22, 2026.
He left the draft room on Day 3, April 25. The photographs that prompted the time away were published by Page Six on April 7, 2026. They showed Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a resort in Sedona.
Earlier images from 2020 in New York City and a 2024 sighting in Mississippi had also circulated. ESPN and other outlets reported that Russini faced an internal investigation into her relationship with Vrabel shortly after the Sedona pictures appeared. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14, 2026, and had not taken a new public reporting role by late May.
Vrabel had spoken to reporters at the NFL Annual League Meeting on March 31, 2026, in Phoenix, and at a pre-draft press conference on April 23. He framed the counseling as an effort to give his family and team the best version of himself. Dianna Russini had interviewed Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith on December 25, 2025, in Minneapolis.
