New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has revealed he has had “difficult” conversations with family, colleagues and players after photographs of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were made public earlier this month. The images, published by the New York Post, showed Vrabel and Russini embracing and holding hands at an Arizona resort. Both are married to different people and have said their relationship is platonic.
Addressing the matter for the first time publicly on Tuesday, Vrabel said: “I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organisation, 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.”
Vrabel, who led the Patriots to February’s Super Bowl in his first season before losing to the Seattle Seahawks, was named Associated Press coach of the year after turning around a 4-13 team. The NFL has stated it will not investigate Vrabel over the photographs, with its personal conduct policy requiring all involved to refrain from “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in” the league.
Russini resigned from the Athletic on 14 April amid an internal investigation. In a letter to the executive editor, she said: “I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career… I have decided to step aside now – before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen.”
