Another player has his head coachs back.
Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez was asked about Mike Vrabels controversial relationship with former The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, specifically what Vrabel said he .
Gonzalez didnt mince any words with his response. Â
“We aint gon speak on what we talked about inside the building,” Gonzalez told reporters. “But I mean, thats my coach. Thats who I go out there and play for. Hes proven what he can do as a coach. Thats my guy, and I ride behind Vrabes any time of the day.”
Patriots captains Hunter Henry and Robert Spillane were both asked previously about the Vrabel situation as well.
“Obviously, you know, I know you guys want to hear about everything that’s going on, but to be honest with you, we’re just focused,” he told reporters on Tuesday, according to Yahoo Sports. “I’m focused on what we got going on right now in this building with this team.”
Henry added hes “just focused on the guys in this locker room and trying to build it from the ground up.” In other words, hes not going to be commenting on his head coachs off-the-field controversy.
Spillane echoed Henrys sentiment.
“Coach coaches football. He keeps the main thing, the main thing,” he explained, per MassLive. “I know hes dealing with personal issues. But when were in the building, we speak football.”
These Patriots are all on the same page with Vrabel despite the scandal that created a football firestorm off the field.
The Patriots released a statement before the first round of the draft, saying they “fully support” Vrabel.
“Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment,” the statement said.
“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process.”Â
Vrabel was with the Patriots for the first two nights of the NFL Draft, but he stepped away for rounds four through seven to seek counseling.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” Vrabel said in a statement, according to ESPN.
“In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
Vrabel also told reporters hes had “some difficult conversations with people that I care about” regarding him and Russini being photographed together at a Sedona, Arizona, private resort in his first public comments about the controversial relationship.Â
Since then, photos have surfaced from 2020 showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her husband and a Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were snapped. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children.Â
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, and they
