Former Patriots Champion Has High Praise For Mike Vrabel Amid Scandal

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel

Former Patriots Champion Has High Praise For Mike Vrabel Amid Scandal originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been making headlines for having an affair with former NFL insider for The Athletic, Dianna Russini.

There have been pictures released that show Vrabel and Russini having an affair for over six years. Both are married, and Russini has resigned from her position at The Athletic. While Russini crossed some major boundaries in her field, Vrabel has not violated any team or league rules. However, the situation has become somewhat of a distraction for the team.

Vrabel had to miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend counseling. He has noted that his family takes priority at this time. As questions about his ability to do his job amid the scandal grow, one of his former teammates, Asante Samuel, came to his defense.

"Don’t be a cornball your entire life fam," Samuel wrote on X on Thursday. "Mike Vrabel is a leader of men period."

Samuel won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and was a four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro in his career. He and Vrabel were teammates for five seasons and were Pro Bowlers together in 2007. He knows Vrabel personally and is confident that the scandal will not change his ability to lead.

All the players who have spoken on the scandal have noted that Vrabel has been upfront and honest with them. The players have backed their head coach and are confident that the scandal will not be a distraction throughout the season.