Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots announced multiple times this week the head coach would take time away from the team to seek counseling and be with his family Saturday. It was initially unclear, though, whether Vrabel would have any contact with the team virtually during Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager provided an update on that front Saturday. Schrager reported during ESPN’s coverage of Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft that Vrabel and the Patriots were in “constant contact” with each other.
“I’ve been told from Patriots sources that they’re in constant contact with Vrabel throughout the day,” said Schrager, via Awful Announcing. “Obviously, a very unique situation.”
Presumably that doesn’t include when he’s in his counseling sessions…
A couple hours later, though, Schrager essentially rescinded his own reporting, saying Vrabel wasn’t in contact with the team at all.
“Following up on the Vrabel report, it was my understanding that Coach Vrabel was going to be in contact with the staff via phone/text, but I’ve learned that in the end, both Vrabel and the team ultimately chose not to interrupt him and his family during Day 3 of the Draft,” wrote Schrager on X.
Vrabel is at the center of the biggest NFL off-the-field scandal in quite some time.
On April 7, Page Six published photos of Vrabel and former NFL senior insider Dianna Russini at a luxurious resort hotel in Sedona, Arizona. The pictures showed the Patriots head coach and Russini holding hands, hugging and lounging in a pool.
On Wednesday, Page Six released another photo from Vrabel and Russini’s encounter in Sedona. The picture showed the two having breakfast “alone” together.
On Thursday, hours before the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, another new photo showed the couple kissing at a New York City bar in 2020.
Where Was Mike Vrabel for Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Schrager’s contradicting reports is the latest turn in the Vrabel-Russini story, which seems to feature a new twist every day.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio explained why ESPN’s differing reports on Vrabel’s Day 3 role was such a big deal.
“It’s a huge difference to go from ‘they are in constant contact’ to ‘they are having no contact whatsoever,'” wrote Florio. “So either the report was wrong — or it was right and the Patriots realized that it was the latest example of piss-poor P.R. and scrambled to clean it up.”
Given ESPN’s silence when the photos first emerged and the deep partnership the network has with the league after its purchase of NFL Network, a lot of fans are going to assume the latter.
“Come on, you’re embarrassing yourself,” wrote one social media user on ESPN’s report. “You tried to minimize his absence by saying he’s in contact with the team only to realize it made him look like an idiot as he’s supposedly doing family counseling this weekend.
“So either you made it up or you’re covering for Vrabel.”
Eliot Wolf Explains Vrabel Was With Family During Day 3 of 2026 NFL Draft
Fortunately for the Patriots, any remaining controversy about where the team’s head coach was Saturday was likely put to rest in general manager Eliot Wolf’s post-draft press conference.
Wolf told reporters, other than brief texts in the morning, the team wasn’t in contact with Vrabel throughout Saturday.
“Last night we kind of talked through things and made the decision that the time away really needs to be time away,” said Wolf. “We were not in contact with Mike today other than some just, ‘Hope everything’s going OK’ kind of texts early this morning.”
Based on those remarks, Schrager’s first report on the communication between Vrabel and the Patriots was wrong.
The Patriots made six selections on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The team chose defensive back Karon Prunty in the fifth round and then offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover, along with linebacker Namdi Obiazor during the sixth round.
New England concluded the draft with quarterback Behren Morton, running back Jam Miller, and linebacker Quintavious Hutchins during the seventh round.
Conflicting Reports Emerge on Mike Vrabel’s Day 3 Role for Patriots’ NFL Draft