How Patriots reportedly will react if more Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini information emerges

A Thursday report revealed that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft remains "firmly behind" Mike Vrabel amid the ongoing controversy involving the head coach and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini.

However, some understandably have wondered how Kraft and Co. will react as more information about the supposed relationship between Vrabel and Russini emerges. During a Friday appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub, NFL and Patriots insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested that Vrabel won't be shown the door by Patriots ownership anytime soon. 

Patriots want to hold onto Mike Vrabel "at this point"

"I would say at this point, it's definitely not in their plans to move on from Mike Vrabel," Breer said about the Patriots, per Aaliyan Mohammed of NESN. "I think if you look at the actions of Kraft Sports...I think it has been a month now since the photos came out. Almost everything has been done in an effort to protect [Vrabel's] employment and to protect his team's image. If it's just continued drips and drabs that kind of continue to fill in the blanks of what we sort of already know, then I think the Patriots just ride it out."

The "at this point" portion of Breer's update could be doing some heavy lifting, as some had previously suggested that the NFL could look into whether or not Vrabel violated tampering rules during his interactions with Russini. Thus far, there's no indication the league plans to take any action related to this matter. 

Since April, pictures have surfaced of Vrabel and Russini, who are married to other people, spending time together at a variety of places from 2020 through this past March. Most recently, a story shared that the two rented a boat together in June 2021 when Russini was pregnant with her first child.

Russini resigned from The Athletic in April.

What would it take for Patriots to want Mike Vrabel gone? 

"I think it would have to be more women coming out, or there being some sort of breach of trust within the organization, where Mike Vrabel was serving his relationship over the team in certain ways," Breer added about the Patriots' current stance regarding Vrabel's employment. "I think it would have to go to a different level." 

Vrabel has already missed at least one significant work event since the initial Russini photos went public. That said, he seems to still have the support of quarterback Drake Maye and others inside the locker room. Only time will tell if that changes as more information about Vrabel and Russini surfaces.