Patriots QB Drake Maye Breaks Silence on Coach Mike Vrabel’s Photo Scandal with Dianna Russini

NEED TO KNOW

• Drake Maye is standing by his coach

• The New England Patriots quarterback shared his opinion about Mike Vrabel’s photo scandal

• Last season, Maye credited Vrabel for his team’s success, after he led them to the Super Bowl

Drake Maye is standing by his head coach.

The New England Patriots quarterback shared his support for Mike Vrabel amid the coach’s photo scandal involving sportswriter Dianna Russini.

“We’re here for Coach, we love Coach,” Maye, 23, told WHDH-TV 7News in Boston. “What he does for us, what he’s done for us this past year, you can’t speak into words. Thankful he’s our head coach.”

Maye continued, “Know he’s dealing with some off the field and out of the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’s gonna come back.”

The signal-caller’s comments regarding the situation come days after Vrabel was seen in Utah on Saturday, April 25, which was also Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Vrabel, 50, previously told reporters that he would seek “counseling” to deal with the fallout of three series of photos that showed the coach getting cozy with Russini, 43, who formerly served as a senior NFL insider at The Athletic.

Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini
Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

While his team drafted six new players on Saturday, Vrabel was seen purchasing a sweatshirt from a women’s boutique at Salt Lake City International Airport. On Tuesday, Vrabel’s wife of 27 years was seen at the same store ahead of a flight out of Utah.

The Patriots were not in touch with Vrabel over the weekend, they previously confirmed to MassLive.

For Maye, who finished as a finalist for NFL MVP and led the team to a Super Bowl berth in his second year, Vrabel has been inextricably linked to his success, he has said.

“He was the heartbeat, no doubt about that,” Maye, 23, said as his voice wavered at the Super Bowl LX postgame presser, after the Patriots lost 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks in February. “He was a big reason why we’re here. He’s always the same and I look forward to my relationship with him for a long time.”

Maye added, “He’s a great person and a hell of a football coach.”

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