Mike Vrabel opens up about 'difficult conversations' after Dianna Russini photo controversy

Mike Vrabel opens up about 'difficult conversations' after Dianna Russini photo controversy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It’s been a few weeks since Page Six published pictures of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL insider Dianna Russini in an apparent romantic situation, but Vrabel hadn’t addressed the incident publicly until Tuesday afternoon.

The Patriots head coach spoke with the media at the team facility as New England’s offseason program began, giving a statement from his side. While Russini has offered a few public statements herself, including her resignation from The Athletic, Vrabel had been relatively quiet.

Now, Vrabel has decided the time was right to move forward in the public eye. Here’s what he said on Tuesday afternoon.

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Mike Vrabel statement

In his first time addressing the media since the pictures were published, Vrabel said he waited to speak because he wanted to talk with the players first, something that happened yesterday.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about about -- with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," he said. "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."

Vrabel added that he wanted to address the situation ahead of the draft as to not take away from the team's preparation or the spotlight for the new draft class.

*This section will be updated*