Mike Vrabel Addresses His ‘Actions’ in First Statement Since Release of Dianna Russini Pictures from 2020

“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” a source who was at the bar told Page Six, adding, “He had a ring on.”

Mike Vrabel on July 28, 2025
Credit: Winslow Townson/Getty

The photo scandal involving Vrabel and Russini began when Page Six published photos of the pair — who are both married to other people — holding hands, hugging and lounging poolsideat the boutique resort Ambiente Sedona on April 7.

Vrabel and Russini both brushed off the photos at the time, with Vrabel describing their meeting as a "completely innocent interaction" in a statement to the New York Post.

Russini told the Post, "The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues."

On April 14, the former NFL reporter, who has broken multiple stories involving Vrabel and the teams he coaches, resigned from her role at The Athletic.

“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she wrote in her official resignation letter. “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.”

Russini said various media had "engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts" in her letter, and claimed the "media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete."

Russini said she has "no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept" and said she's stepping aside "not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but becasue I refuse to lend it further oxygen or let it define me or my career."

Read the original article on People