When the photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL insider Dianna Russini broke earlier this year, showing the two canoodling at an adults-only resort in Arizona ahead of league meetings, the two tried to brush off the controversy as quickly as the could.
Vrabel, speaking to the New York Post, said that the photos “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” adding, “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
However, in the weeks and months to come, more photos and videos surfaced. Russini resigned from her position at The Athletic, while Vrabel went to marriage counseling during the NFL Draft.
We now know, though, that Vrabel initially wanted to say much more about Russini and her reporting. The New England Patriots head coach wanted to staunchly defend his friend. He was talked out of it, though.
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ESPN published a deep dive on the scandal on Monday, ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL regular season.
“According to a person who spoke to Vrabel at the time, the head coach had wanted to issue a stronger statement that defended Russini’s reporting ethics but settled on downplaying the photos,” they repoted.
The Patriots and their players have continued to stand by their head coach.
“Ultimately football players care about respect, they care about accountability, and they care if you can make them better,” the source told ESPN. “And if you can do those things, you can be the weirdest person or you can be a stone-cold killer and they won’t care.”
Female reporters are facing tougher conditions, though
In the wake of the scandal, multiple NFL coaches have told female reporters that they don’t want to be seen with them in public, given the optics.
“Several women reporters, from ESPN and other outlets, said that the Vrabel-Russini situation has impacted their jobs, which were already challenging because of their gender. One reporter said an assistant coach told her he would not want to be seen meeting her for a coffee, specifically citing the optics of the Vrabel-Russini situation,” ESPN added.
Vrabel and the Patriots will open the season on Wednesday, September 9 against the Seahawks.
