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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has said he has had “difficult” conversations after photographs of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were made public earlier this month.
Russini resigned from her post at the Athletic after the New York Post published photos of her and Vrabel embracing and holding hands at an Arizona resort. The pair are married to different people and have said their relationship is platonic.
Vrabel addressed the subject for the first time publicly on Tuesday.
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” Vrabel told reporters. “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. We never want to be the cause of distraction. These are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team. We’ll keep those private and to ourselves.”
Vrabel led the Patriots to February’s Super Bowl, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks, in his first season with the team. He was named Associated Press coach of the year for his achievements, turning around a team that had finished with a 4-13 record the previous season.
The NFL has said it will not investigate Vrabel over the Russini photos. Its personal conduct policy states that: “Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in’ the NFL”.
Vrabel thanked members of the media in his appearance on Tuesday for their patience.
“I know that that’s not easy for you, and I respect that, and I appreciate your efforts in doing so,” he said. “I understand I could have addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday, very candidly, as we began our offseason program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.”
He added that his focus was on this week’s draft, which starts on Thursday.
“I also don’t want to take away from the draft, the weekend of the draft. This is an important time for us, our organization and the excitement and the joy that those players are going to have that we bring on to our football team,” Vrabel said. “They’re starting an amazing journey, one that should be celebrated as we welcome them on to our team.”
Russini announced her resignation on 14 April amid an internal investigation at the Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini said in a letter sent to the Athletic’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, 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 or to let it define me or my career.”
