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The potential controversy involving New England Patriots<\/a>\u00a0head coach\u00a0<\/span>Mike Vrabel<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and well-known NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic continues to generate headlines and discussions leading up to the 2026\u00a0<\/span>NFL<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Draft, which gets underway on the night of April 23.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On Monday, longtime sports reporter Michael Holley of\u00a0NBC Sports Boston\u00a0revealed during an on-air segment that he recently spoke with a former Patriots player who doesn’t agree that it’s currently\u00a0<\/span>“business as usual”<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for the reigning AFC champions this spring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “I talked to a former (Patriots) player, and he said, ‘The hell they won\u2019t want answers. You think Mike Vrabel can just brush this under the rug without talking to the players?'” Holley explained, per\u00a0<\/span>Manny Gomez\u00a0<\/span><\/a>of NJ Advance Media. “And the great quote from the former player was, ‘Hey, coaches don\u2019t treat us like they treat the media.'”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Photos recently surfaced showing Vrabel and Russini holding hands, hugging and\u00a0<\/span>lounging near a pool\u00a0<\/span>at a resort in Sedona, Ariz., earlier this spring. The two later released statements<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>denying any wrongdoing, but\u00a0<\/span>Russini has since been “sidelined”<\/a> from actively reporting on the NFL for The Athletic.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s unclear if the NFL is looking into whether or not Vrabel violated<\/a> the league’s tampering rules by having any kind of close relationship with Russini. He ultimately may receive no punishment related to this situation, but it sounds like he could face some difficult questions inside the locker room when Phase 1\u00a0of the Patriots’ offseason program\u00a0<\/span>begins<\/span>\u00a0on April 20.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think Vrabel will have to say something to his team,” Holley continued during the segment. “They won\u2019t necessarily say, ‘Hey, what\u2019s going on at home’ or ‘Why are you doing anything with her?’ or anything like that. I think he\u2019s gonna have to answer to something that has been in the news for a while. He\u2019s their head coach and, for his credibility,<\/a> he\u2019s gonna have to say something to the team.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nPatriots players will want answers regarding Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini situation<\/h2>\n
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Mike Vrabel will need to address the elephant in the room<\/h2>\n
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