Patriots Exec Denies Team Talked to Mike Vrabel During NFL Draft After Coach Stepped Away for Counseling

Mike Vrabel on Feb. 10, 2026 in New England
Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty

"So, we were not in contact with Mike today other than some just, 'Hope everything's going okay,' kind of text early this morning," Wolf added, per the outlet.

Wolf also told MassLive that Vrabel shared "words of encouragement" with team officials after they drafted Gabe Jacas and Eli Raridon on Saturday, April 25. "He knows our process," Wolf said of Vrabel, adding, "We talked about what kind of players we needed to add, and we knew what kind of players that he liked, and obviously, we drafted some of the guys that he had an affinity for today.”

Despite Vrabel's absence, Wolf said he felt good about the draft, calling it "a really good process all weekend" and extending thanks to "everyone from top to bottom of our football organization," per MassLive.

Mike Vrabel; Dianna Russini
Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

On the first day of the draft, photos showing Russini and Vrabel at a bar on March 10, 2020 were published by Page Six, furthering romance rumors that stemmed from the initial images of Vrabel and Russini holding hands at an Arizona luxury resort that surfaced earlier this month.

Vrabel, who initially called the suggestion that he and Russini were romantically involved "laughable" in a statement to New York Post hours after the photos were released, held a press conference just before the draft began to address the scandal.

"I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about. My family, this football team, the organization and the fans," Vrabel told reporters.

“My priorities are my family and this football and in that order," he said. "There's a balance there that I'm going to create. My family needs me this weekend and that's where I'll be."

Russini, meanwhile, resigned from her position as an NFL insider at The Athletic on April 14.

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