The scandal involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL insider Dianna Russini continues to unfold, as new information continues to surface with each passing day.
How will this controversy impact the Patriots, who are coming off of a Super Bowl appearance after improving their record by 10 wins? On Wednesday, Drake Maye made his feelings clear on the matter.
Patriots QB Drake Maye Offers Thoughts on Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Scandal
While playing in the Truist Championship Pro-Am golf tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Maye was asked if he thinks the scandal will be a distraction for New England.
“No, I don’t,” Maye told 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 added that he thinks Vrabel is “a great human being.” The Vrabel-Russini scandal hit a new level on Wednesday as TMZ reported that Vrabel and Russini rented a boat together while Russini was pregnant with her first child back in June 2021.
“I know he’s got the right mindset, and I know he’s a great human being,” Maye said of Vrabel. “I think he’s … like I said, I love playing for him.”
Wednesday’s golf outing for Maye was a chance for him to get back to his home state. He’s a native of Huntersville, N.C., which is near the Charlotte area.
In his second NFL season, Maye led the Patriots to Super Bowl 60, where New England lost to the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
According to PFSN’s NFL QB Impact metric, Maye was the second-best QB in the regular season with a 91.1 QBi grade. Maye completed 354-of-492 passes for 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions (plus 450 rushing yards and 4 scores on the ground). He finished as the NFL MVP runner-up behind Los Angeles Rams star Matthew Stafford, and Vrabel took home the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.
The Patriots are hoping that this situation will blow over so that they can build on Vrabel’s impressive first season as head coach.
It seems like Maye is fully committed to playing for Vrabel, who missed the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft as he entered counseling with his family. So far, a number of Patriots players have spoken out in support of Vrabel and the organization has backed him publicly.
It’s also worth noting that the NFL has said that they won’t investigate the scandal, as the league is viewing it as a personal matter.
The Patriots are hoping that the controversy will eventually fizzle out, but it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, especially since new information continues to leak and Russini hasn’t even shared her side of the story yet.
