Mike Vrabel addresses media for the first time regarding Dianna Russini controversy

For the first time since being photographed at an adults-only resort with NFL reporter Dianni Russinni in Arizona, Mike Vrabel appeared in front of the media in Foxborough for the first time.

The off-field controversy resulted in no shortage of speculation involving the personal lives of both he and Russini, leading to Russini stepping away from her role with The Athletic. Recently, reports had surfaced that the pair had worked with crisis management experts on how to respond to the leaked photos.

Standing in front of microphones, Vrabel shared that he wanted the opportunity to meet with players and have some difficult conversations with his family before facing the media.

"Let me first begin by saying thank you. Thank you for your patience that you've shown in a personal and private matter for me and obviously everybody involved. I know that's not easy for you and I respect that and I appreciate your efforts in doing so. I understand I could have addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday, very candidly, as we began our offseason program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.

"Stacy had mentioned the players' availability, and it was never my intention to have them speak to you or address you before I did, and so I asked him to come today to talk with you. I also don't want to take away from the draft, to the weekend of the draft. This is an important time for us and our organization, and the excitement and the joy that those players are going to have, that that we bring onto our football team, they're starting an amazing journey, one that should be celebrated as we welcome them onto our team."

"With that being said, I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players, 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. Those are comments and questions that I've answered for the team and with the team, and we'll keep those private and to ourselves. Care deeply about this football team and excited to coach them. I also know that I'm going to attack each day with humility and focus."

"What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, that the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward, and that's what I know, and I'm excited to do that. But I wanted to, one, just address this, and thank you for your patience in dealing with a private and personal matter. Thank you."

Vrabel did not take questions following the statement as the organization hopes to shift their focus to the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Patriots head into Draft Day with the 31st overall pick, and hold 11 picks total for the draft.