The New England Patriots are circling the wagons around head coach Mike Vrabel. The ongoing scandal surrounding Vrabel and Dianna Russini has put New England to the test early in the offseason. Patriots players are still standing behind their head coach amid all of the chaos.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye stood up for his head coach during a recent interview. Maye called Vrabel “a great human being” and said he does not believe his coach's off-the-field issues will be a distraction during the 2026 season.
“No, I don't,” Maye said following the Truist Championship Pro-AM on Wednesday, per the Associated Press. “I mean, he's our head coach. I think he's done a great job of talking to us and talking us through it. I'm just looking forward to getting back to work and getting ready.”
Maye first stood up for Vrabel on April 30th, breaking his silence on the Russini scandal. He claimed that the entire Patriots team is standing behind Vrabel.
“We're here for coach. We love coach,” said Maye about Vrabel. “What he does for us, what he's done for us this past year, you can't speak into words. Just thankful he's our head coach. I know he's doing 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.”
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Maye's comments come after new details emerged on Wednesday around the controversy. According to TMZ, Vrabel allegedly rented a boat for the two of them back in 2021.
Vrabel missed Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling and spend time with his family.
Patriots fans have to be hopeful that this scandal does not follow the team into the regular season.
Either way, Next up for the Patriots is rookie minicamp, which kicks off on May 8th.
The New England Patriots are circling the wagons around head coach Mike Vrabel. The ongoing scandal surrounding Vrabel and Dianna Russini has put New England to the test early in the offseason. Patriots players are still standing behind their head coach amid all of the chaos. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye stood up for his head coach during a recent interview.