Mike Vrabel emerged from his offseason scandal. Its effects linger - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel, the hulking former linebacker who coached his team to the Super Bowl last season, had assumed his news conference power stance: arms stretched wide to grab the lectern in front of him. It was a morning in August ahead of New England Patriots training camp practice. The head coach wore his trademark blue vest and white long-sleeved shirt.

«What did you learn from counseling?» a reporter asked.

Vrabel dodged the question about the scandal that rocked the NFL offseason. Instead, he turned his answer into a discussion about New England's offensive line: «I just walked into that meeting room and said, 'How do we improve? How do we improve our combination blocks?»

He spoke for one minute and six seconds. He never mentioned the word counseling.

Vrabel was the feel-good story of last NFL season as he led the Patriots from 4-13 to the Super Bowl in his first year coaching his former team.

But after the New York Post in April published photos of him and former Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini together at an adults-only resort, he became a fascination beyond just sports media, crossing over into the tabloids. The attention grew so intense that Vrabel stepped away from the team to seek counseling. Vrabel's future was debated across sports media. NFL observers and personnel wondered aloud if the scrutiny on his personal life would grow into a problem on the field.

As a new season of Super Bowl expectations begins, Vrabel's close connection to players and his track record of success have allowed him to move beyond the offseason scandal in the locker room and organization. At the same time, aftershocks continue to ripple through the league, from team front offices to the coaching ranks, in some