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Drake Maye, the Patriots’ quarterback, has expressed his support for head coach Mike Vrabel amidst the recent controversy surrounding Vrabel’s personal life. The coach has been in the spotlight due to his alleged relationship with former Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini.
Maye, who is preparing for his second season with Vrabel following their appearance in the Super Bowl in February 2026, addressed the situation during an event for Best Buddies, a Massachusetts-based non-profit that assists individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, on Wednesday.
“We’re standing by coach,” Maye, 23, conveyed to Jonathan Hall from 7News. “We deeply appreciate everything he does for us and what he has accomplished over the past year—it’s beyond words.”
He continued, “We’re grateful to have him as our head coach. Although he’s currently dealing with some personal matters, we’re here to support him, and I’m confident he’ll make a strong return.”
These comments come in the wake of a report from Page Six, which on April 7 published photos of Vrabel and Russini holding hands at an Arizona resort last month. Both Vrabel and Russini are reportedly married to other partners.
Other photos showed the pair hugging on a private deck and talking while sitting in a hot tub together.
Vrabel addressed the situation with reporters ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and said he discussed it in-house with his players.
When the photos were published, both downplayed the images in statements, with Vrabel calling them “laughable,” and Russini adding that “the photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.”
The Athletic initially backed Russini before opening an internal investigation by the New York Times, which owns the sports outlet, that is currently ongoing.
Russini — who has two young sons with her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt — resigned from The Athletic on April 14.
Page Six published more photos of Vrabel Russini on April 23, appearing to show the pair kissing while at a Tribeca Tavern in Manhattan in March of 2020 — when he was coaching for the Tennessee Titans and she was an NFL insider at ESPN.
Steven Ginsberg, the executive editor at The Athletic, said in an all-hands meeting with his staff on Wednesday that the ongoing investigation by The Athletic‘s editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel, is expected to be lengthy.
He added that communication could have been clearer with his staff.
The Patriots have stood by Vrabel and supported him as he skipped Day 3 of the draft to seek “counseling” and focus on himself.
While addressing the matter ahead of the draft, Vrabel told reporters that it’s a “personal and private matter” and that he’s had “difficult conversations with people I care about.”
He described the conversations as “positive and productive.”
The coach, who has two sons with his wife Jen, did not reference Russini or the scandal directly.
Vrabel also received a standing ovation from Patriots season ticket holders at an event on Tuesday.