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.
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.”
The NFL has said it will not investigate Vrabel over the photos. 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 Associated Press coach of the year.
Russini announced her resignation on 14 April amid an internal investigation at the Athletic. In a letter, she said: “I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. … 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.”
