Add Page Six on Google Mike Vrabel was awkwardly asked about his marriage during an offseason press conference — four months after his and NFL reporter Diana Russini’s PDA went viral.
On Tuesday, ESPN reporter Kalyn Kahler brought up the “counseling” the New England Patriots coach and his wife, Jen Vrabel, underwent as the scandal played out.
“You said this offseason that you were seeking counseling,” the journalist noted, referring to Mike’s April admission during a press conference after Page Six published bombshell photos of him and Russini.
When Mike gave an affirmative, Kahler continued, “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?”
“I think we always look at improvement,” the 50-year-old replied. “As we talk about getting ready for the next season, we always look at improvement and ways that we can improve individually and how we can improve as a team.
“It’s really critical that we continue to do that, on and off the field,” he continued. “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.”
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Mike added, “This journey that we’re going to go on is going to be completely different than the one we went on last year. That’s all of our jobs to prepare for it now. We’re really focused on our improvement individually and as a team, and that’s something we can do today.
He pivoted to discussing “combination blocks” and “how does [the team] improve” those.
“I think we all have areas we can improve on and that includes the coaches,” Mike concluded.
When asked whether there were plans to continue the counseling “through the season,” Mike said. “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 highlighted the team’s psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, gushing, “I love what Dr. JJ does for our football team and our ability to use that as a resource.”
The press conference continued with no further mention of the drama.
Mike and Jen have put on a united front since he made headlines for holding hands and hugging Russini at an Arizona resort in March — and, in resurfaced photos from 2020, kissing her at a New York City bar.
Mike, who wed Jen in 1999 and shares two children with her, had a 24-hour emergency marriage summit in Park City, Utah, in April.
The duo posed for a picture together while celebrating their son’s engagement in June — and were photographed in New York City ahead of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding the following month.
Russini, similarly, kissed husband Kevin Goldschmidt on Mother’s Day and vacationed with him on a luxury cruise in July.
The 43-year-old married her partner in 2020, and the pair have since welcomed two sons.
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