Mike Vrabel discusses ‘difficult conversations’ following Dianna Russini photos

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the media for the first time on Tuesday since photos circulated of Vrabel holding hands and spending time at an adults-only resort with Dianna Russini, former NFL reporter for The Athletic.

The Patriots organization initially told the media that Vrabel would not speak publicly until after the NFL Draft, but plans appear to have changed when players began receiving questions about the photos as they arrived for the first workouts of the year. Vrabel said he spoke with the team and regretted that he caused a distraction inside the organization.

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive. In order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me.”

Russini resigned from The Athletic earlier this month, saying that her decision did not represent acknowledging any validity to the story — but rather to deprive it of oxygen. This followed reports from sources inside The Athletic, which indicated that additional questions had been raised as part of the company’s investigation into Russini. Meanwhile, the NFL said it would not open an investigation into whether or not Vrabel engaged in conduct detrimental to the league.

We’re still left with a lot of vagueness surrounding this whole situation. Whether or not Vrabel and Russini had a relationship that extended beyond professionalism is of no consequence, but there are real questions to be answered about how a potential improper relationship could have impacted the NFL through biased reporting on the Vrabel, the Patriots, potential free agents, or in end-of-year award voting. Pro Football Talk is attempting to have the Associated Press unseal Russini’s 2025 awards voting as a means to examine her NFL Coach of the Year ballot in particular. Vrabel won the award, however there are questions about the ranked voting after Vrabel and if that potentially cost Jaguars coach Liam Coen (who finished second) points.

In addition, In Touch reports that Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft attempted to kill the New York Post story upon learning about the photos obtained by Page Six.

“Robert Kraft intervened and had his honchos pressure The Post before they published and tried to kill the story,” a source exclusively tells In Touch. “The Post gave Vrabel a longer time to respond than what is considered industry norms, and Kraft took advantage of that extended timeframe to put pressure on the reporter and the newspaper. A notorious crisis strategist made the call but was unsuccessful in neutering the story.”

It’s completely understandable that Vrabel, Russini, and the Patriots just want to move past this, because it is a significant distraction during NFL Draft week and into offseason workouts, but the water is already muddy when it comes to the separation of media and team roles thanks to Tom Brady’s dual role as part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders while still being employed as an analyst for Fox. The Vrabel/Russini incident is a further potential blurring of the lines, and it warrants investigation on both the side of The Athletic and the NFL.