Mike Vrabel was back with the New England Patriots on Monday, two days after he voluntarily left the team to seek counseling amid a controversy over his visit to an Arizona resort with then-Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.
Vrabel was photographed in Utah at a Salt Lake City airport boutique on Saturday, when Rounds 4-7 of the NFL draft transpired.
ESPN reported Vrabel was in “constant contact via email and text message” with the Patriots during his brief absence and returned Monday to resume “full responsibilities as head coach.” The Patriots claimed not to be in contact with Vrabel while he was away from the team and stated that the only messages exchanged were sent from team employees to Vrabel, according to vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
“We kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away, so we were not in contact with Mike (Saturday) other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early (in the) morning,” Wolf said.
The 50-year-old coach said he felt family counseling was necessary to move forward after the alleged tryst with Russini became public.
“This is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person,” he said.
Vrabel and Russini both have spouses. The New York Post published photos of the two of them in Sedona, Ariz., ahead of league meetings in Phoenix last month. Russini resigned from The Athletic, where she was lead NFL insider, amid an investigation by the New York Times-run organization into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.
Vrabel spoke openly to the media last Tuesday about the fallout.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said during the draft that the league is not considering punishment or further investigation into the matter under the “off-field conduct” policy.
Vrabel became the head coach of the Patriots — the team for which he played — ahead of the 2025 season and guided New England to Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13.
Vrabel earned his second AP NFL Coach of the Year honor last season after winning the award in 2021 when he led the Titans. He was Tennessee’s head coach from 2018-23.
