ESPN’s Peter Schrager was forced to retract his claim that the New England Patriots were in ‘constant contact’ with Mike Vrabel on day three of the NFL Draft as he began counseling over the Dianna Russini scandal.
The embattled Patriots head coach is seeking professional help amid claims that he had an affair with sports reporter Russini, who resigned from her job at The Athletic after Page Six released photos of her and Vrabel at a $2,500-a-night Arizona retreat.
The pair, who are both married with children, initially denied the affair allegations and insisted they were at the resort with a larger group when the snaps were taken.
Yet earlier this week, Vrabel revealed he would be seeking counseling this weekend while vowing to become a ‘better person’ in a groveling apology to his family.
He was therefore absent as the Patriots concluded their NFL Draft process on Saturday, having joined general manager Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden for the first three rounds across Thursday and Friday.
Schrager, the well-known NFL analyst who previously worked for Fox before joining ESPN, initially reported on Saturday that New England chiefs were still keeping in touch with Vrabel ‘via telephone and text message’ despite his counseling plans.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager was forced to retract a claim about Mike Vrabel and the Patriots
Schrager reported that the Patriots were in ‘constant contact’ with Vrabel on day three of the NFL Draft, despite the coach starting counseling over the Dianna Russini (right) scandal
‘I’ve been told from Patriots sources that they’re in constant contact with Vrabel throughout the day,’ he claimed live on ESPN.
However, Schrager was later forced to backtrack in a humiliating post on X.
‘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,’ he wrote.
Vrabel has been married to wife Jen, the mother of his two sons, for more than two decades. Russini also has two sons with her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, whom she married in 2020.Â
Despite continuing to deny the claims on her way out, the NFL insider resigned from her job at The Athletic over the scandal amid an investigation by the New York Times, the publication’s parent company.
Vrabel, meanwhile, has escaped punishment from the Patriots, who have come out in support of their head coach over the past few days.
The downcast coach apologized to his family just moments before the NFL Draft started on Thursday night, saying: ‘I understand that there are questions, but I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about, my family, this football team, the organization and our fans.
Vrabel revealed earlier this week that he would be seeking counseling over the Russini dramaÂ
The pair, who are both married with children, have denied allegations that they had an affair
‘My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to. They don’t. What I believe is best for the two most important things in my life, my family and this football team, is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I’d give them, which is the best version of me, and that’s what we’re going to do.
‘That’s going to start, that has started, and that’ll continue this weekend and it’ll continue for however long it takes for me to give them and to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible.
‘My priorities are my family and this football team – and in that order – and there’s a balance there that I am going to create. My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be.’
The initial photos of Vrabel and Russini published by Page Six, which showed them hugging, laughing and lounging poolside together at the getaway in Sedona, Arizona, were reportedly captured on March 28.
On Wednesday night, the outlet published new photos of the pair having breakfast together, which were allegedly taken on the same morning of March 28.
While sources close to both parties insist they were joined by a group of friends, ‘multiple eyewitnesses’ reportedly claimed they were actually ‘alone’ at the time.
The photos appear to show Vrabel sat across the table from Russini, yet only the side of his head is visible in one of the images, meaning it cannot be determined whether anyone is sitting next to him.
Vrabel has been married to wife Jen, the mother of his two sons, for over two decades
Russini also shares two sons with husband Kevin Goldschmidt, whom she married in 2020
Russini, who is sat in clear view of the camera, does not appear to be sitting next to anyone at the table.Â
On Thursday it also emerged that Vrabel and the NFL insider were allegedly caught kissing at a secluded bar six years ago.
The latest batch of exclusive photos from the New York Post purportedly shows Vrabel, then-coach of the Tennessee Titans, at the now-closed Tribeca Tavern with Russini, who was working for ESPN and frequently covering the team at the time.
‘They were kissing and they were all over each other,’ one witness told Page Six of the March 11, 2020, encounter in New York. ‘He had a ring on.’
The source went on to describe the pair as ‘all over each other.’
‘They were having a glorious time,’ the source said. ‘They were [giving each other] pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly. There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.’
