The New England Patriots have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s scandalous relationship with Dianna Russini has dominated headlines, rivaling the 2026 NFL Draft. One league insider shared that the ongoing controversy seems to be taking a toll on the veteran head coach.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer declared that Vrabel “hasn’t been the same” behind the scenes amid his recent scandal.
“I can tell you factually he has not been the same the last two weeks in that building,” Breer said on Friday via 98.5 The Sports Hub. “The sense I’ve gotten talking to people is… that bravado and everything else, I think this has taken a chunk out of that.”
Vrabel will miss Day 3 of the draft as he seeks counseling, something he promised his family he would do. When announcing the news, he made it clear that he would give the same advice to a player if they were in a similar situation.
The Patriots have to be hopeful that Vrabel can return to his old self before the regular season.
“What you don’t want is that version of Mike Vrabel walking around for the next six weeks until summer and then we’ll see what happens when he gets back,” Breer added. “You want to find a way to get the full Mike Vrabel back. To me, that’s the most important thing.”
Breer also added that the timing could have been worse. If this news had broke during training camp or the regular season, New England would be in a much worse position.
Regardless, the next step for the Patriots is preparing for Day 2 of the draft on Friday night.
The New England Patriots have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s scandalous relationship with Dianna Russini has dominated headlines, rivaling the 2026 NFL Draft. One league insider shared that the ongoing controversy seems to be taking a toll on the veteran head coach.