More photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL insider Dianna Russini were published Thursday by the New York Post’s Page Six, a day after Vrabel announced he’ll miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft to seek counseling.
Hours later, TMZ published another photo of the pair from a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2024.
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The Page Six images reportedly are from 2020, six years before Vrabel and Russini were photographed holding hands, hugging and hanging poolside at a resort in Arizona.
These pictures show Vrabel and Russini sitting closely together, reportedly at a New York City bar. Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and Russini was working for ESPN at the time the photos were reportedly taken.
In those images, Vrabel is shown touching Russini’s arm and leaning in toward her.
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Vrabel and Russini were at New York’s Tribeca Tavern for at least an hour in the early hours of March 11, 2020, according to Page Six, which also reported that, when the photos were snapped, Vrabel was married and Russini was six months away from getting engaged to her now-husband.
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Meanwhile, the TMZ image was reportedly taken weeks after Vrabel’s firing by the Titans, at the Beau Rivage Casino shortly before midnight on Jan. 31, 2024. The person who took the picture reportedly assumed the woman was Vrabel’s wife until the story actually broke.
Russini resigned from her post at The Athletic on April 14, a week after Page Six published its first Vrabel-Russini pictures.
Russini has been a top NFL news breaker who’s covered Vrabel and the league as a whole for years. She stepped down from her position at The Athletic while The New York Times-owned outlet investigated the situation.
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Last week, she published a copy of her resignation letter on X, where she had more than 450,000 followers before taking down her account on Thursday. She also removed her Bluesky account, and her Instagram account is private as of Thursday evening.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini wrote in that letter.
She noted: “ … Commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
In an ESPN report that ran on April 17, Ben Strauss reported that NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is not reviewing whether Vrabel violated the league’s personal conduct policy, which states that players, coaches and executives must not engage in “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in” the NFL.
The NFL is still not investigating Vrabel under the league’s personal conduct policy, Front Office Sports reported Thursday afternoon.
Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, both issued statements that were included in Page Six’s April 7 report. Regarding the Arizona resort photos, Vrabel said in his statement back then that “these photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable” and that “this doesn’t deserve any further response,” per Page Six.
On Tuesday, Vrabel addressed the situation publicly for the first time since that statement. He talked to reporters about what he described as a “personal and private matter” for both him and everybody involved.
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“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” said Vrabel, who earned his second AP NFL Coach of the Year award last season while leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance.
“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 a distraction. Those are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team. We’ll keep those private and to ourselves.”
Vrabel is entering his second season as the Patriots’ coach. He won three Super Bowls as a linebacker for New England during the franchise’s dynasty under then-coach Bill Belichick.
On Wednesday night, ESPN acquired a statement from Vrabel, who reportedly will be with his family this weekend, outside of Massachusetts. This means he will not be with the team on Saturday during Day 3 of the NFL Draft, when the Patriots have eight picks.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel said in the statement, according to ESPN. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
Vrabel continued, via ESPN: “I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”
The Patriots released a statement Thursday afternoon, backing Vrabel’s choice to spend the third day of the draft away from the team.
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“The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel’s decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being,” the statement reads, per ESPN. “Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.
“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process. While he will not be present at the facility on Saturday, we know the draft evaluations are complete and [executive vice president of player personnel] Eliot Wolf and his personnel staff are prepared to execute our draft as planned this weekend.”
Vrabel met with media prior to the first round of the draft on Thursday night. He reiterated the importance of being with his family at this time.
“I understand that there are questions, but I take accountability from my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about: my family, this football team, the organization and our fans,” Vrabel said.
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“My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to. They don’t. And what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life, my family and this football team, is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I’d give them, which is the best version of me. And that’s what we’re going to do. And that has started, that’ll continue this weekend, and it’ll continue for however long it takes for me to give them and to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible.”
Vrabel emphasized that his priorities are his “family and this football team, and in that order.” He vowed to create a balance in that dynamic. Vrabel was asked if his Saturday absence would extend into any other football activities. He said he couldn’t answer that.
“I can only say that whatever my family needs, that’s what I’m going to provide,” Vrabel said. “But I also understand what’s needed for me here.”
Vrabel thanked Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other members of the organization for their support.
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When asked why his tune changed about the Arizona resort photos since his statement that appeared in Page Six’s April 7 report, Vrabel characterized that initial statement as “an attempt to protect” his family.
“I would never be dismissive,” he said.
