New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will miss part of the NFL Draft as he reportedly plans to seek counseling this weekend. And in remarks made minutes before the start of the draft, he wouldn’t rule out missing more football activities. The Patriots had earlier confirmed he’ll be aw ay on Saturday, as first reported by ESPN. Vrabel will reportedly miss Day 3 of the draft, which is rounds four through seven — meaning he will miss eight of the Patriots’ 11 draft picks this year, ESPN had reported. According to ESPN’s reporting, Vrabel said he plans to seek counseling this weekend, a promise he made to his family and the team following the photos released of him with former NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a resort in Arizona. The photos show the two holding hands and embracing — but both Russini and Vrabel have denied any wrongdoing, calling the incident private and personal. “I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be,” Vrabel told ESPN regarding his choice to seek counseling. In his comments Thursday evening, Vrabel acknowledged that his “previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to.” Get reaction to Vrabel’s comments as it comes in with NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots live blog. Asked later about his characterization that initial images of him and Russini together don’t show an innocent interaction as “laughable,” Vrabel said it was “a private and personal matter” and alluded to the comments being about protecting his family; he repeated throughout his comments that his family and the football team are his priorities. “My priorities are my family and this football team, and in that order, and there’s a balance there that I am going to create. My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be,” he said. A reporter asked if he might miss more time, and Vrabel replied, “I can’t answer that… Whatever my family needs that’s what I’m going to provide.” The Patriots’ statement, released Thursday afternoon, notes that the team fully supports Vrabel’s “decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being. 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.” More Vrabel-Russini news New England Patriots Apr 21 Mike Vrabel addresses Dianna Russini photos and reflects on ‘difficult conversations' NFL Apr 14 NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic Vrabel has two sons with his wife, Jen. He told ESPN that he will be in contact with the Patriots on Saturday for the last day of the draft. Vrabel addressed the fallout over the photos during a media conference on Tuesday. “I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” he said. “Those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction.” In an initial statement to the Post, Vrabel described the photos as a “completely innocent interaction,” noting that “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.” But conversation around the photos and their implication has persisted, and Russini recently resigned from The Athletic while citing a “media frenzy” surrounding the story. The NFL recently confirmed to USA TODAY that Vrabel isn’t facing any discipline from the league. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less