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Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said he’s “here for” Mike Vrabel, who’s “doing some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world” in the wake of the head coach’s scandalous relationship with former Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini.
Maye, entering his second season under Vrabel after reaching Super Bowl 2026 in February, was asked about the matter while at an event for Best Buddies, a non-profit for helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), in Massachusetts on Wednesday.
“We’re here for coach,” Maye, 23, told 7News’ Jonathan Hall. “We love coach — what he does for us, what he’s done for us this past year, you can’t speak into words.
“Just thankful he’s our head coach. I know he’s doing some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’s gonna come back.”
It came after Page Six broke the story and published photos on April 7 showing Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, holding hands while at a resort in Arizona last month.
Other photos showed the pair hugging on a private deck and talking while sitting in a hot tub together.
Vrabel addressed the situation with reporters ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and said he discussed it in-house with his players.
When the photos were published, both downplayed the images in statements, with Vrabel calling them “laughable,” and Russini adding that “the photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.”
The Athletic initially backed Russini before opening an internal investigation by the New York Times, which owns the sports outlet, that is currently ongoing.
Russini — who has two young sons with her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt — resigned from The Athletic on April 14.
Page Six published more photos of Vrabel Russini on April 23, appearing to show the pair kissing while at a Tribeca Tavern in Manhattan in March of 2020 — when he was coaching for the Tennessee Titans and she was an NFL insider at ESPN.
Steven Ginsberg, the executive editor at The Athletic, said in an all-hands meeting with his staff on Wednesday that the ongoing investigation by The Athletic‘s editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel, is expected to be lengthy.
He added that communication could have been clearer with his staff.
The Patriots have stood by Vrabel and supported him as he skipped Day 3 of the draft to seek “counseling” and focus on himself.
While addressing the matter ahead of the draft, Vrabel told reporters that it’s a “personal and private matter” and that he’s had “difficult conversations with people I care about.”
He described the conversations as “positive and productive.”
The coach, who has two sons with his wife Jen, did not reference Russini or the scandal directly.
Vrabel also received a standing ovation from Patriots season ticket holders at an event on Tuesday.
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