Latest Mike Vrabel development makes a strange situation even stranger

The story that won't go away after 16 days is lingering in large part because the Patriots and coach Mike Vrabel keep giving it oxygen.

Barely a day after Vrabel made a surprise appearance in the press room to deliver a statement regarding photos he initially called "laughable," Vrabel announced early Thursday morning that he won’t be with the team on the third day of the draft, and that he'll instead be in "counseling."

With or without the input of a "crisis communications expert," the Patriots have made some interesting communications choices regarding the current P.R. crisis. If there was an effort to kill the photos of Vrabel with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, the Patriots had a good idea as to what the situation could become. And if the Patriots signed off on Vrabel's dismissive initial statement, they either were duped by his denial or they jointly developed an approach premised on trying to dupe everyone else.

At first, it appeared that the situation would be a bigger problem for Russini, whose former job relied on objectivity, the avoidance of even the appearance of a conflict of interest, and credibility with the audience. After she resigned and Vrabel remained unscathed, the vibe changed.

Tuesday's statement seemed to be an effort to short-circuit a potentially awkward situation on Thursday night, when Vrabel speaks to reporters after the Patriots make their first-round pick. Vrabel also wanted to address the matter publicly before his players were subjected to media questions regarding, for example, whether Vrabel has talked to them about the photos with Russini.

Then came the team's confusing decision to issue a statement to that a crisis communications expert was not utilized in connection with the reported effort to kill the story, without a denial that an effort to kill the initial story was made.