New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has opened up on the controversy surrounding photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort after the pictures led her to resign from her job.
Vrabel said Tuesday that he’s had “difficult conversations with people I care about,” including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players, following the publication of photos of the coach and longtime NFL insider.
“Those (conversations) have been positive and productive. In order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” Vrabel said, making an unscheduled statement from the podium at the team’s facility on the second day of its offseason workout program.
The photos were of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos earlier this month.
A Patriots spokesman said there are no plans for other team officials to address the issue further.
The NFL, meanwhile, said last weekend that it is not investigating Vrabel’s behavior. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the league is not looking into the matter.
Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week later, after the Post’s report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.
Vrabel said he addressed players about the matter Monday after they arrived for the start of the voluntary workout program. Two Patriots players were scheduled to be made available to reporters on Tuesday, but Vrabel said he wanted to speak before they did. He also said he didn’t want the interest in the Post photos to take attention away from the NFL draft, which begins Thursday.
Vrabel said any conversations he’s had with team officials would stay private.
“We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction,” he said. “There are comments and questions that I’ve answered with the team and will keep those private to ourselves.”
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.
Until his appearance Tuesday, Vrabel hadn’t spoken in a news conference setting with reporters since the owners’ meetings.
Last year, before his first season as Patriots coach, he addressed reporters as part of the lead-up to the NFL draft. He opted not to do that last week, with only Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf speaking at that news conference on April 13.
“Very involved. Business as usual,” Wolf said when asked how much Vrabel had been involved with the team’s draft process. “I’d say he’s been in there with us this round probably a little more than he was in there last year. … He’s been in there. He’s been contributing. He’s watched a ton of the players.”
Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots. He led the team to a 14-3 finish last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to Seattle.
Vrabel said his focus going forward is football.
“I 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,” he said. “What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, coaches and our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward. That’s what I know and I’m excited to do that.”
