Patriots back Mike Vrabel after New York Post publishes more photos of him with Dianna Russini
By Kyle Feldscher, Jill Martin, Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — The New England Patriots are backing head coach Mike Vrabel after a second report in the New York Post raised questions about the reigning coach of the year’s relationship with a former reporter from The Athletic.
Vrabel has been under the microscope in recent weeks after the Post published photos of him and Dianna Russini at a resort in Arizona earlier this year. On Thursday, just hours before the NFL Draft gets underway, the Post published another story showing photos of Vrabel and Russini at a New York City bar in March 2020. The outlet described the two as sitting closely to each other and “at one point appearing to share a kiss.”
When asked for comment on this latest story, the Patriots said they support Vrabel’s decision to seek counseling, as first reported by ESPN on Wednesday.
“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being. Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment,” the statement read.
“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”
On April 7, the Post shared photos showing Russini and Vrabel holding hands, embracing and spending time in a pool together at a boutique resort in Sedona, Arizona. The photos were taken on March 28, according to the publication, which noted that both adults are married.
Russini resigned from The Athletic last week, a week after the star NFL reporter was sidelined amid an internal investigation into her relationship with Vrabel.
In her resignation letter from The Athletic, Russini blamed “commentators in various media” for engaging in “self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
“I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept,” she added, asserting that her journalistic record “speaks for itself.”
Vrabel told the Post that the photos showed “a completely innocent interaction” and said “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
However, earlier this week, Vrabel said he has had “difficult conversations with people I care about” after the release of the photos and told ESPN that he would be seeking counseling starting this weekend, causing him to miss the third day of the NFL draft.
The 50-year-old Vrabel reiterated on Thursday that it was a personal matter but cleared up the need for counseling.
“I understand there are questions but I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about – my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans,” Vrabel told reporters.
“My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to. They don’t, and what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life – my family and this football team – is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I’d give them, which is the best version of me, and that’s what we’re going to do. And that’s going to start and that has started, that’ll continue this weekend and it’ll continue for however long it takes.”
Vrabel’s press conference came just under an hour before the first round of the draft got underway in Pittsburgh. He was originally scheduled to speak after the completion of the round Thursday.
“I ask that somehow you can allow those players that we bring on to this football team, allow them the excitement and joy of recognizing a dream and starting a journey,” Vrabel added.
“I hope that you can do that. And again, I’m focused on this team moving forward. And out of respect to my family, I won’t have any more comments or answers to touch on.”
Amid the fallout from the report, the Times opened an investigation into the matter, including a review of Russini’s past coverage, and benched her from reporting for the time being, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Russini was at ESPN at the time of the March 2020 photos of her and Vrabel in New York, and that network declined to comment when asked by CNN Sports.
CNN has reached out to Russini’s agent for comment on the latest photos.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked by ESPN about the situation Thursday, to which the 67-year-old responded that it did not fall under the league’s personal conduct policy and referred to it as a personal matter.
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