Patriots' Mike Vrabel addresses stepping away for Day 3 of NFL Draft amid off-field matter

"Like I told you before that my priorities are my family in this football team and in that order," Vrabel said. "There's a balance there that I am going to create and my family needs me this weekend and that's where I'll be, but I'm confident in the people that we have. I'm confident in the preparation. Thankful for Eliot and his staff that have prepared us for this night, for this weekend.

"I ask that somehow you can allow those players that we bring onto this football team, allow them the excitement and joy of recognizing a dream and starting a journey. I hope that you can do that, and again I'm focused on this team moving forward, and out of respect to my family, I won't have any more comments or answers to touch on."

Vrabel did take a handful of questions, including whether or not his absence from the team could extend beyond Day 3 of the draft.

"I can't answer that," he said. "I can only say that whatever my family needs, that's what I'm going to provide, but I also understand what's needed from me here."

The news of Vrabel briefly stepping away comes on the heels of more images being released with Russini. Just over two weeks ago, the New York Post's Page Six published photos of Vrabel and Russini holding hands and hugging at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona.

Initially, both Vrabel and Russini denied the insinuation of a romantic relationship, with the Patriots head coach telling Page Six it was a "completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable."

However, as more images of the two emerged, Vrabel's denial softened. He told reporters in a press conference earlier this week that he's "had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players."

On April 14, Russini resigned from The Athletic as the outlet conducted an internal investigation into the matter.

On Wednesday, Page Six published additional photos of Vrabel and Russini eating breakfast together at the Arizona resort on March 28. On Thursday afternoon, Page Six released even more photos of the two, but this latest release was from March 11, 2020. Those images showed Vrabel and Russini sitting close together at a New York City bar and reportedly kissing.

Vrabel is coming off his first season as head coach of the Patriots, where he led the team to a 14-3 regular-season record. That saw New England win the AFC East, the conference, and appear in Super Bowl LX. Vrabel was named the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year.