Two weeks after controversial photos were published of Mike Vrabel holding hands and hugging NFL insider Dianna Russini, the New England Patriots coach issued his first public statement to reporters on Tuesday.
During a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, Vrabel said that the viral story has prompted some “difficult conversations” with people who are close to him.
“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,” he told reporters. “We believe that 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.”
While Vrabel did not mention Russini specifically, he did apologize for not addressing the situation earlier.
Why did Vrabel wait so long?
Monday was the first day of the Patriots’ voluntary organized team activities and Vrabel said that he wanted to speak with his team before making a public statement.
“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. I care deeply about this football team and I’m excited to coach them,” Vrabel said. “I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus. And what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward.
“That’s what I know. I’m excited to do that, but I wanted to just address this and thank you for dealing with a private and personal matter.”
Did Russini and Vrabel have an affair?
In photos posted by New York Post’s Page Six, the Patriots head coach and the reporter with The Athletic were seen “holding hands and hugging” in an intimate setting at a luxury hotel in Arizona.
In the photos, which reportedly were taken in March, Vrabel and Russini – who are both married to other people – were seen “hugging at sunset and weaving their fingers together as they (stood) face-to-face” before also briefly dancing together.
According to the outlet, the pair were spotted on a private rooftop area of the Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Ariz., which markets itself as a luxury adults-only getaway destination with scenic views of the Brins Mesa mountain range.
The area where they were photographed is reportedly only accessible from two-person bungalows that cost more than US$2,100 per evening.
While sources close to both Vrabel and Russini say they were at the hotel with other friends, the outlet originally reported that it had received claims from three separate eyewitnesses that Vrabel and Russini had not been seen with anyone else at the hotel.
What did Vrabel and Russini initially say about the claims?
Both Russini and Vrabel issued stern denials of any wrongdoing or that any sort of affair had taken place.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response,” Vrabel said in a statement.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini told Page Six. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Russini later resigned from her job with The Athletic just days after the outlet launched an internal investigation into the reporter’s conduct following the publication of photos of her with Vrabel at an Arizona resort.
Russini announced her departure from the outlet via a letter to The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg which was obtained by the Associated Press last week.
How have the Patriots and NFL handled the situation?
On Sunday night, In Touch dropped a bombshell claiming that Patriots owner Robert Kraft had put pressure on the New York Post not to publish the photographs.
“Robert Kraft intervened and had his honchos pressure The Post before they published and tried to kill the story,” a source reportedly told In Touch. “The Post gave Vrabel a longer time to respond than what is considered industry norms, and Kraft took advantage of that extended timeframe to put pressure on the reporter and the newspaper.
“A notorious crisis strategist made the call but was unsuccessful in neutering the story.”
On Friday, ESPN’s Ben Strauss reported that Russini had promptly contacted a “crisis communications expert” after the situation blew up two weeks ago.
Strauss reported that “Russini, Vrabel and executives from The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times, scrambled to respond” to the photos and that the Post “was open to changing the tone of the story or possibly not running it if Russini and Vrabel could provide compelling evidence to back up their statements that they had each been on a trip with friends.”
According to Strauss’ report, the NFL is not reviewing Vrabel’s actions.
Who are their spouses?
Vrabel and his wife, Jen, have been married for more than 26 years and have two sons, according to reports.
Russini has been married to Kevin Goldschmidt, an executive at fast-food restaurant Shake Shack, since 2020. They also have two children together.
Russini had served as a senior NFL insider with The Athletic, but worked as a beat reporter for ESPN covering the Tennessee Titans during Vrabel’s tenure as head coach of the team.