Dan Murphy
Multiple Authors
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel stated the New England Patriots and their followers will get “the best version of me going forward” after the New York Post printed photos that appeared to indicate the coach embracing and holding palms with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.
Vrabel shared no particulars about what he referred to as a “personal and private matter” or his relationship with Russini and the photos of the pair spending time collectively at an adults-only resort in Arizona. He stated he had conversations that have been each “positive and productive” with Patriots gamers after they reported for voluntary exercises Monday.
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” Vrabel stated Tuesday. “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 by no means need our actions to negatively have an effect on the workforce. We by no means need to be the reason for a distraction. There are feedback and questions that I’ve answered for the workforce and with the workforce. We’ll preserve these non-public.”
The Post published a series of photos two weeks ago that appeared to show Vrabel and Russini spending time together at a resort days before the NFL’s league meetings nearby in Phoenix. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, told the Post that the photos didn’t accurately reflect their interaction.
After initially receiving support from The Athletic, Russini announced last week that she was resigning from her role at the outlet.
Vrabel said he wanted to make a statement Tuesday so he could address the media before his players were asked questions about the story and to try to minimize distractions heading into the NFL draft this week.
In his initial response to the Post, Vrabel said the photos showed a “utterly harmless interplay and any suggestion in any other case is laughable.” When asked Tuesday if that was still his stance, Vrabel declined to answer.
“I respect the query,” he said. “I’m going to deal with our soccer workforce. I feel I addressed what I felt like was essential.”
Vrabel provided an opening two-minute statement Tuesday without directly mentioning Russini or the photos, and then took several minutes to answer questions about the upcoming draft, which begins Thursday.
The reigning NFL Coach of the Year said he has also addressed the situation with Patriots owners and planned to keep the nature of those conversations private. An NFL spokesperson told ESPN last week that the league is not reviewing Vrabel’s behavior under the league’s personal conduct policy.
ESPN reported last week that Vrabel and Russini coordinated with each other after they were first approached by the Post. Russini also contacted a crisis communications expert prior to responding to the Post.
In her resignation letter last week, Russini maintained that she covered the NFL with “professionalism and dedication all through my profession,” but decided to step down because of the “media frenzy” that had followed the Post report. The Athletic is reviewing Russini’s past reporting, according to a letter that executive editor Steven Ginsberg sent to the organization’s staff last week.
“As extra data emerged, new questions have been raised that turned a part of our investigation,” Ginsberg wrote. “While our investigation into Dianna’s conduct was ongoing, she selected to resign.”
A spokesperson for the Patriots did not respond last week to a question about whether the team would review Vrabel’s relationship with Russini.
Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including “SportsCenter” anchor, NFL analyst and insider. She hosted a podcast for The Athletic and made appearances on their video platform.
Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots after leading them to a 14-3 regular-season record last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
