Maye rubbishes Vrabel exit talk amid Russini scandal: 'He's gonna come back'

Mike Vrabel's off-field problems continue to dominate the headlines, but his quarterback is making sure nobody questions where the locker room stands.

New England Patriots' Drake Maye spoke to reporters on Tuesday night at a charity event in Massachusetts, and when the subject of Vrabel came up, he tackled it head-on.

Maye's message to Vrabel

Thearon W. Henderson / Stringer

"We're here for coach," Maye told Jonathan Hall of 7News. "We love coach, what he does for us, what he's done for us this past year, you can't speak into words.

"Just thankful he's our head coach. I know he's dealing with some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world, but we're here for him. And I know he's gonna come back."

The "he's gonna come back" line is the one that really hit home, because there has been intense speculation about Vrabel's future.

Maye's words won't settle that debate, but they do carry weight.

How the Vrabel-Russini story unfolded

It all started on April 7, when The New York Post shared photos of Vrabel and Dianna Russini at a high-end resort in Sedona, Arizona, just before the NFL's annual league meetings.

Considering both are married, that was bad enough, but then, on April 23, the opening day of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Post published what it claimed were additional images.

The new pictures were from a New York bar and apparently date back to March 2020.

Russini resigned from The Athletic shortly after the story broke.

Vrabel pulled out of Day 3 of the draft entirely to be with his family and, in his own words, began seeking counselling.

"My priorities are my family and this football team, in that order," he told reporters. "My family needs me this weekend, and that's where I'll be."

The Patriots' locker room speaks

Maye wasn't the first to speak up in Vrabel's defence.

Defensive captain Robert Spillane offered his support, vouching for his head coach's professionalism

Veteran tight end Hunter Henry also spoke up for Vrabel.

"It's been the same Vrabes bringing a lot of energy in the room," Henry said. "Obviously, he addressed it, and that's kinda all I'll say about it."

Fans give Vrabel standing ovation

The players aren't alone either. Vrabel showed up at a Q&A with season ticket holders on April 28 and got a standing ovation upon walking in.

Right now, it appears everyone under the Patriots' banner is united in their support for Vrabel.

But if more photos or another story make the headlines, that could soon change.