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New England Patriots coach and former Ohio State player and assistant coach Mike Vrabel addressed photos published in the New York Post. Those photos showed Vrabel together with The Athletic's former NFL Insider Dianna Russini.
Pictures in the New York Post April 7 showed the two hugging on a rooftop at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, and hanging out poolside in bathing suits. Both are married to other people with whom they have children.
"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," Vrabel said in an opening statement to the press on April 21. "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. You never want to be the cause of a distraction."
"... What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody − our fans, most importantly − will get the best version of me going forward. That's what I know and I'm excited to do that," Vrabel continued.
Vrabel declined to offer any details about his relationship with Russini, calling the situation a "personal and private matter."
Vrabel said he would have addressed the media sooner, but wanted a chance to speak to his players first, which he did on April 20. He said any comments he made to the team and any questions he answered would be kept private. Vrabel also declined to elaborate on any recent conversations with Robert Kraft and Patriots ownership, according to USA TODAY.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on April 20 that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league's personal conduct policy.
Russini, on the other hand, is under internal investigation by the New York Times, which owns The Athletic. Before that investigation concluded, Russini resigned from her role on April 14.
Vrabel declined to comment about Russini directly after his opening statement, according to USA TODAY.
An Ohio State football defensive end from 1993-1996, Vrabel was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2007.
Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 and was fired after the 2023 season. After a year's hiatus, he became the head coach of the Patriots for the 2025 season, leading them to a Super Bowl in his first year.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike Vrabel speaks on photos with reporter Dianna Russini
Continue reading...
Pictures in the New York Post April 7 showed the two hugging on a rooftop at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, and hanging out poolside in bathing suits. Both are married to other people with whom they have children.
"I've had some difficult conversations with people I care about about − with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," Vrabel said in an opening statement to the press on April 21. "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. You never want to be the cause of a distraction."
"... What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody − our fans, most importantly − will get the best version of me going forward. That's what I know and I'm excited to do that," Vrabel continued.
Vrabel declined to offer any details about his relationship with Russini, calling the situation a "personal and private matter."
Vrabel said he would have addressed the media sooner, but wanted a chance to speak to his players first, which he did on April 20. He said any comments he made to the team and any questions he answered would be kept private. Vrabel also declined to elaborate on any recent conversations with Robert Kraft and Patriots ownership, according to USA TODAY.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on April 20 that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league's personal conduct policy.
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Russini, on the other hand, is under internal investigation by the New York Times, which owns The Athletic. Before that investigation concluded, Russini resigned from her role on April 14.
Vrabel declined to comment about Russini directly after his opening statement, according to USA TODAY.
An Ohio State football defensive end from 1993-1996, Vrabel was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2007.
Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 and was fired after the 2023 season. After a year's hiatus, he became the head coach of the Patriots for the 2025 season, leading them to a Super Bowl in his first year.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike Vrabel speaks on photos with reporter Dianna Russini
Continue reading...
