Vrabel: I had 'difficult' talks over Russini photos

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Mike Vrabel said the New England Patriots and their fans will get "the best version of me going forward" after the New York Post published photos that appeared to show the coach embracing and holding hands with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.

Vrabel shared no details about what he called a "personal and private matter" or his relationship with Russini and the photos of the pair spending time together at an adults-only hotel in Arizona. He said he had conversations that were "positive and productive" with Patriots players when they reported for voluntary workouts Monday.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about -- with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," Vrabel said Tuesday. "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 a distraction. There are comments and questions that I've answered for the team and with the team. We'll keep those private."

The Post published a series of photos two weeks ago that show Vrabel and Russini together at a resort days before the NFL's league meetings nearby in Phoenix. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, told the Post that the photos didn't accurately reflect their interaction.

After initially receiving support from The Athletic, Russini announced last week that she was resigning from her role at the outlet.

Vrabel said he wanted to make a statement Tuesday so he could address the media before his players were asked questions about the story and to try to minimize distractions heading into the NFL draft this week.

In his initial response to the Post, Vrabel said the photos showed a "completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable." When asked Tuesday if that was still his stance, Vrabel declined to answer.

"I appreciate the question," he said. "I'm going to focus on our football team. I think I addressed what I felt like was important."

Vrabel provided an opening two-minute statement Tuesday without directly mentioning Russini or the photos, and then took several minutes to answer questions about the upcoming draft, which begins Thursday.

The reigning NFL Coach of the Year said he has also addressed the situation with Patriots owners and planned to keep the nature of those conversations private. An NFL spokesperson told ESPN last week that the league is not reviewing Vrabel's behavior under its personal conduct policy.

ESPN reported last week that Vrabel and Russini coordinated with each other after they were first approached by the Post. Russini also contacted a crisis communications expert prior to responding to the Post.

In her resignation letter last week, Russini maintained that she covered the NFL with "professionalism and dedication throughout my career" but decided to step down because of the "media frenzy" that had followed the Post report. The Athletic is reviewing Russini's past reporting, according to a letter that executive editor Steven Ginsberg sent to the organization's staff last week.

"As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation," Ginsberg wrote. "While our investigation into Dianna's conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign."

A spokesperson for the Patriots did not respond last week to a question about whether the team would review Vrabel's relationship with Russini.

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.

Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots after leading them to a 14-3 regular-season record last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.