Mike Vrabel's Very Bad Week Just Got Worse

Mike Vrabel is now saying he fell short of his own standards, though he's not elaborating at the moment. Addressing the media on Thursday at Gillette Stadium on opening night of the NFL draft, the New England Patriots head coach, who's entering his second season in that role with the team, apologized for "actions that caused a distraction" to his family, team, league, and fans, hours after new photos of him with reporter Dianna Russini surfaced, per CBS News. This set of pics, published by the New York Post, show Vrabel and Russini seemingly canoodling late at night at a New York City bar in early March 2020, where they talked, sat extra close to each other, and even appeared to share a kiss.

At the time those photos were taken, Vrabel was already married to his wife, Jen, while Russini would walk down the aisle with her husband, Shake Shack exec Kevin Goldschmidt, later that year. Vrabel and Russini now share two children each with their respective partners. The images at the NYC bar followed a series that emerged earlier this month showing Vrabel and Russini holding hands, hugging, and lounging in a hot tub together at a luxury Arizona hotel this past March. Initially, both Vrabel and Russini were dismissive of those images, with Russini claiming other people were there at the hotel with them, just not shown in the photos, and Vrabel calling the pictures "laughable."

TMZ also has photos of the two appearing to gamble together at a Mississippi casino in 2024. Vrabel didn't directly discuss any of the pics or define his relationship with Russini on Thursday, when the AP notes he spoke for about seven minutes, but he said that he's seeking counseling and will miss Saturday's third day of the draft because "my family needs me this weekend," per CBS. The 50-year-old coach—who earlier this week said he'd had "difficult conversations" with his family before speaking publicly—reemphasized that his priorities are "my family and this football team. In that order."

The Patriots issued a statement backing his decision to get counseling, and Vrabel thanked owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft for their support. He asked that coverage of the situation not overshadow incoming draft picks and said he wouldn't answer further questions on the matter. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN that the situation doesn't trigger the league's personal conduct policy and is being handled by the team. Meanwhile, the 43-year-old Russini resigned from the Athletic on April 14.