Drake Maye Breaks Silence on Mike Vrabel's Off-Field Controversy

It's been a hectic and controversial offseason for New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

On April 7, Page Six published photos of Vrabel at a resort in Arizona alongside longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini.

Both parties initially denied the allegations, but their positions reportedly shifted in the following weeks, with Russini stepping down from her role at The Athletic as the situation came under review. Vrabel ultimately addressed the media in a lengthy statement and also missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend counseling.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about - with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive," Vrabel said last week.

"We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me - that starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction."

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Outside of Vrabel, no one in the Patriots building has truly addressed the situation, partially due to it being the offseason, however, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was asked about the controversy for the first time and had a clear message about his love and support for his and head coach.

"We're here for coach, we love coach,” Maye said on Wednesday night. “We know he's dealing with 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."

Vrabel has been in and out of the building over the past week. He received a standing ovation at a Patriots season-ticket holder event on Wednesday and is not scheduled to address the media again until May 27, when the team begins OTAs.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:12 PM.