Patriots coach Vrabel has had ‘difficult’ conversations after publication of Russini photos

TL;DR

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has had challenging discussions following the release of photos showing him with NFL reporter Dianna Russini. Both have stated their relationship is platonic despite their marital status.

Key points

Mike Vrabel had difficult conversations after photos with Dianna Russini surfaced
Dianna Russini resigned from The Athletic following the photo publication
The NFL will not investigate Vrabel over the incident

Mentioned in this story

Mike VrabelDianna RussiniNew England PatriotsThe Athletic

Super BowlSeattle Seahawks

Mike Vrabel led the Patriots to this year’s Super Bowl. Photograph: Mark Stockwell/AP (Photograph: Mark Stockwell/AP) 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. Related: The Dianna Russini fallout is less about scandal than who carries blame in the NFL | Melissa Jacobs 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 AP 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 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.”

Q&A

What did Mike Vrabel say about the conversations he had after the photos were released?

Mike Vrabel described the conversations as 'difficult' but positive and productive, emphasizing the importance of making good decisions.

Why did Dianna Russini resign from her position?

Dianna Russini resigned after photos of her and Mike Vrabel embracing were published, raising concerns about their relationship despite both claiming it is platonic.

Will the NFL investigate Mike Vrabel over the Russini photos?

The NFL has stated it will not investigate Mike Vrabel regarding the photos, as his conduct did not violate league policies.