The New England Patriots addressed Mike Vrabel’s absence for the NFL draft amid his controversy with Dianna Russini. The head coach made headlines after photos of him and Russini hanging out in an Arizona resort went viral. Following the buzz, Vrabel will be missing from the third day of this year’s NFL draft on Saturday. As such, the team’s Executive Vice President of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf, shared his thoughts on Vrabel’s decision.
Patriots have a message for Mike Vrabel as he misses NFL draft pick amid Dianna Russini scandal
After the first round pick-up on Thursday, Patriots’ Eliot Wolf talked about Mike Vrabel’s absence amid the scandal with Dianna Russini. “I just refer to the statement,” Wolf stated. The 44-year-old further added, “That’s a personal thing that Mike’s dealing with and going through, and obviously we support him.” He mentioned that he isn’t very worried about the work on Saturday, “Just as far as the process that we have in place, the people that we have in place.”
He continued, “And it’s going to be different without his presence there, but we feel really good about the people that we have in place to make up for it.” Moreover, Wolf mentioned what the organization will be missing without Vrabel. “The stability of him as a person, some of the leadership, some of the presence,” Wolf noted. He further explained, “He does a nice job for us with the undrafted players. Obviously, he’s a tremendous recruiter, so that’s maybe something that we’ll be missing.”
However, Wolf felt they are “very confident in the people” they already have in the process. He further explained, “The assistant coaches have done a tremendous job, as have the scouts, preparing for day three. And we’re excited about it.”
He also shared that he will be consulting Vrabel on necessary matters. Amid the scandal, Vrabel expressed remorse and decided to focus on his family during a pre-draft news conference. “My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to,” the former linebacker said. He continued, “My family needs me this weekend, and that’s where I’ll be.”
Originally reported by Ritika Singh on Mandatory.
