Patriots say they 'fully support' Mike Vrabel amid latest in controversy involving Dianna Russini

"We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend."

The Patriots' statement comes after news that Vrabel would be stepping away from the team indefinitely to seek counseling and be with his family. The news was first reported by ESPN. 

"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, per 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."

"They were kissing and they were all over each other," an eyewitness told the outlet. "He had a ring on."

Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her now-husband and Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were snapped. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children. 

This past month, Vrabel and the now-former The Athletic reporter were seen holding hands and hugging at the luxury resort in Arizona. Photos of their intimate interaction were first released in April. 

The photos showed the two sunbathing by a pool, in a hot tub, and on the roof of a bungalow holding hands and embracing, which caused a league-wide uproar. Russini, the subject of an investigation by her employer The Athletic, resigned as a result. 

Vrabel also noted speaking with his players, which began the Patriots' offseason program this week, before his comments to the press. 

"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," he stated. "We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. There's comments and questions that I've answered for the team and with the team, will keep those private and to ourselves."

OutKick's Armando Salguero contributed to this report.