Mike Vrabel to miss Patriots draft day, seek counseling after photo scandal

Mike Vrabel will not be with the New England Patriots for the third day of the NFL draft, a conspicuous absence for a coach expected to shape the roster’s future while the club handles eight of its 11 selections.

Vrabel told ESPN he will spend the weekend with his family outside Massachusetts and will seek counseling after the fallout from photos taken at an Arizona resort in March. The images showed Vrabel and former Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini together, and Vrabel publicly said Tuesday that he had made “difficult conversations” with people he cares about. He also said the matter was personal and private.

The timing puts the issue squarely alongside the Patriots’ draft process, which begins in Pittsburgh on April 23 and runs through April 25. New England owns 11 total picks, with its first selection at No. 31 overall, and eight of those picks come on Day 3: two fourth-round picks, one fifth-round pick, four sixth-round picks and one seventh-round pick. That final day is where teams often find depth, developmental players and special teams help, making the coach’s absence more than symbolic.

The questions now extend beyond the photos themselves and into accountability at a moment when the Patriots are trying to project stability. Vrabel’s decision to step away from the building during a draft weekend he will help shape remotely lands at the intersection of public scrutiny and team culture, where leadership decisions can reverberate through a locker room as much as through the front office.

The controversy has already altered the broader media and league environment around the story. The Athletic opened an internal investigation into Russini’s coverage and her relationship with Vrabel, and Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14. The NFL said it will not investigate Vrabel.

For the Patriots, the practical work continues in Foxborough and Pittsburgh without their head coach on site for Day 3. The team has pushed draft coverage and highlighted its 11 selections, underscoring how much of this class remains to be sorted after the first two days. Vrabel’s absence may not change the card that gets turned in, but it adds another test of discipline for a franchise that will be judged not only by who it drafts, but by how its leaders carry themselves while the league is watching.