Mike Vrabel stepping away from NFL draft to seek counseling after scandal

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, the former coach of the Tennessee Titans, will miss Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 25 to seek counseling.

Vrabel released a statement on April 22 that he would step away from the draft after the first two days. The statement came two weeks after photos were published of Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini embracing on the rooftop of an adults-only resort in Arizona during the NFL meetings in March.

Vrabel did not say in his statement why he was seeking counseling. It came a day after Vrabel said in a release that he recently had "difficult conversations with people I care about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players."

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Rounds 4-7 of the NFL Draft will take place on April 25. New England currently has eight picks in those rounds, including two in the fourth round.

In his most recent statement sent to ESPN, Vrabel said, "As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization, and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them."

"In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.