Mike Vrabel Won't Say If He'll Have More Personal Absences In 2026
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been (understandably) walking on eggshells as far as his personal life goes in the aftermath of the scandal with former NFL insider Dianna Russini. But he had some interesting answers to those questions on Wednesday.
At his spring training press conference, Vrabel was asked if he expects to miss any more football activities this offseason. Vrabel was a little wishy-washy on that topic, stating that "anything could happen" but added that he's focused on the here and now.
"I mean, I can only tell you I'm gonna be there today, and I can't tell you anything other than I'm gonna be out there today in full force," Vrabel said. "And I mean that because, you know, who knows what's gonna come up? I'm not even - you know, anything could happen. And so I'm gonna focus on today. But in the excitement that we've had and that we've built so far, and the conditioning that we've tried to incorporate into our practices and the weightlifting and all the things that are critical."
Dealing with Distraction
The conversation naturally shifted to how Vrabel deals with off-the-field issues. Vrabel reiterated that he's focused on the here and now, and helping his players get through all of the details as they gear up for training camp.
"We all have to deal with things, you know, outside of here," Vrabel said, "and my focus - and obviously, the excitement that I have for coaching - is what is most important right now, and this is a great opportunity, the spring, we don't have to worry about opponents. We don't have to worry about, you know, our schedule is pretty much the same.
"The players, it has a routine, and each and every day in the spring is similar. But it's just about teaching. It's about teaching these guys the scheme. We talked about having some enhancements, offensively and defensively and special teams, of stuff that we did well, you know, but that we'll have to, you know, either dress up or modify slightly, so that's what the spring's time is about, and that's really all we know, is being able to coach these guys and to teach them, help them, help them do their job. This is the time in the spring where they can focus on, you know, not only conditioning but, you know, all the details that are gonna help them. So that's really all I know, and that's really all I want to be able to do."
There certainly is a looming concern that one day, be it in a week, a month or a year, Dianna Russini will end her self-imposed media exile and speak out on what happened between her and Vrabel (if anything).
At that point, Vrabel's responses might change again.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 12:15 PM.