New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will miss a portion of the NFL Draft and undergo counseling in the wake of photos emerging of himself and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini, the team said Thursday.
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He will not be with the Patriots on Saturday during the third day of the NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday night.
“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,” Vrabel said in statement originally reported by ESPN on Wednesday night.
“In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend.”
The Patriots on Thursday verified the validity of that statement to NBC News.
“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,” he added.
When photos emerged of Vrabel in hand-holding positions with former Athletic reporter Russini, the coach initially dismissed the images as “laughable.”
But as the story picked up steam and Russini resigned from the Athletic, Vrabel had to address the issue in Tuesday, telling reporters that he has “had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players.”
