ESPN host draws a hard line on Vrabel-Russini scandal: ‘You’re a flaming hypocrite’
The ESPN host said Mike Vrabel owes an apology only to his family, not fans or the team, following photos with reporter Diana Russini.
In a media cycle hungry for contrition, one voice is making it clear: Don’t expect an apology tour for Mike Vrabel. On his Sirius XM show Friday, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith pushed back hard on the outrage surrounding the fallout from photos linking New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel to reporter Dianna Russini, arguing Vrabel’s personal life is exactly that — personal.
“Mike Vrabel doesn’t owe any of us a damn apology,” Smith said, via YouTube . “He doesn’t owe it to us. He doesn’t owe it to his team.
He doesn’t owe it to the players. The only thing, the only people he owes it to is his wife and his family. ” Vrabel found himself at the center of a tabloid storm after photos emerged via the New York Post of him and Russini poolside — and later, kissing — stoking rumors of a romantic relationship.
Vrabel responded with a public statement taking accountability for causing “a distraction to the people I care most about,” naming his family, his football team, the organization, and the fans. “It is none of our business,” Smith said. “And anybody out there that thinks that this man owes us an explanation for getting his freak on, you’re a flaming hypocrite.