Welcome to the 2026 NFL season, New England Patriots fans. A season in which head coach Mike Vrabel will be forced to give five awkward responses to questions related to the scandal involving former NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
ESPN reporter Kalyn Kahler got the ball rolling on Tuesday during Mike Vrabel’s press conference, asking him about marriage counseling with his wife Jen.
“You said this off-season that you were seeking counseling,” Kahler said just four minutes into the media session. “I wanted to follow up on that. What did you learn from that counseling and how did you balance that personal commitment with getting ready for this season?”
“Well, I think we always look at improvement, you know, as we talk about getting ready for the next season,” Vrabel replied, not really answering Kahler’s question. “We always look at improvement and ways that we can improve individually and, you know, how we can improve as a team. And it’s really critical that we continue to do that, on and off the field.
“I believe in that. I believe in everything we can do to help this football team, to help our coaches, to help myself and everybody else included, and how we, you know, this journey that we’re going to go on, you know, is going to be completely different than the one we went on last year.
“And that’s all of our jobs to prepare for it now. So, really focused on our improvement individually and as a team, and that’s something we can do today.”
Mike Vrabel tried to change the subject, but there was one follow-up question
Mike Vrabel then turned that into a quick discussion about “combination blocks” and how the team can “improve.”
Kahler then asked him a follow-up question about whether he would continue counseling “through the season.”
“We’re gonna always try and find ways to prepare and focus on our mental fitness. That’s gonna continue with me, the coaches, the staff and our players,” he replied, adding how much he likes the team’s psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, then changed the subject to joint practices.