Patriots coach addresses Dianna Russini scandal in surprise remarks
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel tries to move on from Dianna Russini controversy after surprise statement - Vrabel said he’s had ‘difficult conversations with people I care about’ including his family
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has opened up on the controversy surrounding photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort after the pictures led her to resign from her job. Vrabel said Tuesday that he's had “difficult conversations with people I care about," including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players, following the publication of photos of the coach and longtime NFL insider. "Those (conversations) have been positive and productive.
In order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” Vrabel said, making an unscheduled statement from the podium at the team's facility on the second day of its offseason workout program.
The photos were of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post , which published the photos earlier this month. A Patriots spokesman said there are no plans for other team officials to address the issue further. The NFL, meanwhile, said last weekend that it is not investigating Vrabel’s behavior.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the league is not looking into the matter. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week later , after the Post's report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times -owned sports outlet.