Patriots issue statement of support for Mike Vrabel
· Yahoo Sports
The first day of the 2026 draft has been overtaken by a story that has slowly gained steam for 16 days. With Thursday's publication of photos showing Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini together in March 2020 seeming to be, in many respects, a tipping point in the controversy, the Patriots have issued a statement of support for Vrabel.
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“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being," the team said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. "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.”
The gesture should quiet speculation that the momentum of the overall story could be building toward something far more significant than Vrabel missing rounds four through seven of the draft. Unless and until more evidence emerges.
At this point, it's impossible to assume it won't. The past two weeks point to the possibility if not likelihood that it will.