Patriots ‘fully support’ Mike Vrabel with coach set to miss Day 3 of NFL Draft

The New England Patriots released a statement hours before the start of the NFL Draft affirming their support of coach Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel will miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft — a day in which the Patriots are expected to select eight of their 11 picks — as he joins his family and begins counseling, according to ESPN.

“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being,” the Patriots said in the statement. “Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.

“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”

ESPN’s report stated that Vrabel will be with his family outside of Massachusetts Saturday. That report came out Wednesday night, while additional photos were published by Page Six showing Vrabel and former Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini in a in March of 2020.