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Mike Vrabel has the full support of his young star quarterback.
New England Patriots head coach Drake Maye, in just his second NFL season, won the AFC and returned the Pats to familiar territory: the Super Bowl.
The big play itself didn’t go the way they wanted, but at least it showed that Patriots fans likely have their coach-quarterback tandem for years to come.
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New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel talks with quarterback Drake Maye during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee on Oct. 19, 2025. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But the team has taken a detour amid Vrabel’s controversy with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, which led to Vrabel having “difficult conversations with people that I care about” and even seeking counseling.
Last week, the Patriots said in a statement that they “fully support” their head coach, and Maye echoed similar sentiments.
“We’re here for the coach, we love the coach and what he does for us and has done for us this past year. You can’t put it into words and fortunately he’s our head coach,” Maye told WHDH-TV in Boston.
“We know he’s dealing with some things off the field and out of the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’ll be back.”
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks with quarterback Drake Maye during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Sept. 7, 2025. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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The scandal began earlier this month when he and Russini were photographed together in a Sedona, arizona, private resort holding hands and lying next to each other by a pool.
Since then, photos have surfaced from 2020 showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The images are exclusively obtained by New York Post was taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her husband and a Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were taken. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children.
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, and they share two sons together. In the photos, Vrabel’s wedding ring is visible on his left hand as he speaks with Russini. At the time, Russini was with ESPN while Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite photo with Russini holding an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Images)
Both initially denied any wrongdoing, but Russini has since resigned and is the subject of an investigation by his former employer.
