Coach of the New England Patriots Mike Vrabel he had the full support of his quarterback just hours before the latest bombshell dropped in his ongoing scandal involving an NFL reporter. Dianna Russini.
Drake Maye called Vrabel, 50, “a great person” and insisted he doesn’t think the off-field controversy involving his coach will derail the team moving forward.
“No, I don’t want to,” Maye, 23, told the newspaper The Associated Press on Wednesday, May 6, following the Truist Championship Pro-Am in Charlotte. “I mean, he’s our head coach. I think he did a great job talking to us and talking to us. I’m looking to get back to work and get ready.”
The defender added, “I know he has a good mind … I like playing for him.”
Shortly after Maye’s comments, TMZ reported that Vrabel and Russini, 43, chartered a private yacht together in 2021 while Russini was pregnant with her first child. Russini is married to her husband, Kevin Goldschmidtfrom September 2020.
It’s been a tumultuous month for Vrabel, who is married to his wife, Jensince 1999.
The whole scandal started on April 7, there Page Six published photos of Vrabel and Russini looking cozy at a luxury resort in Arizona. Since then, many outlets have published additional photos of the couple from over the years, including photos from the show Page Six of the two who were seen kissing at a bar in New York City in March 2020.
Vrabel and Russini both denied having anything other than a professional relationship when the first batch of photos were published, but Vrabel briefly withdrew from the group to attend counseling last month.
“I promised my family, this organization and this team that I would give them the best version of me that I could give them. To do that, I have committed to getting counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel said in a statement to ESPN on April 22.
The Patriots organization and its players have supported Vrabel throughout the scandal, including previous comments made by Maye.
“We wanted a coach, we love a coach,” Maye told Boston’s 7 News on April 29. “What he did for us this past year, you can’t put it into words.”
He added, “Thank you, he is our coach and I know he does something outside the field and outside the coaches, but we are here for him and I know he will come back.”
