Is something else about to drop?
It seemed like New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was going to be able to move on from the recent scandal surrounding photos of the married coach getting close with now-former NFL reporter for The Athletic, Dianna Russini.
The photos, first published by Page Six, surfaced a couple weeks ago and showing Vrabel holding hands and lounging in a pool with the (also married) reporter on a rooftop in Sedona, Arizona.
According to Page Six, eyewitnesses said the two appeared to be alone and nobody else was spotted with them during their time together – which is a problem because both Vrabel and Russini are married, and not to each other.
The Patriots coach has been married to his wife Jen Vrabel since 1999, and the couple have two children together. Russini, meanwhile, has been married to Shake Shack vice president Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020, and also have two children together.
In the immediate aftermath, both Vrabel and Russini issued statements claiming that the photos were taken out of context.
According to Vrabel:
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
And Russini likewise claimed that the photos are misleading:
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Initially, Russini’s employer also issued a statement standing by their reporter:
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.”
But things changed last week, when the New York Times-owned publication announced that Russini had resigned and an internal email revealed that their investigation had raised “new questions” over the photos:
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter.
As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”
Russini, for her part, claimed that her resignation was not an admission of anything improper, but simply her way of trying to put the scandal to bed:
“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.”
Now, it definitely seems like Russini could have just provided pictures from this group trip proving that her and Vrabel weren’t there alone. Pull out the group chat planning the trip, hotel receipts, pictures…something that makes it look like anything other than two married people sneaking off to a romantic resort.
But hey, maybe it WAS a girls trip and none of them took any pictures. That wouldn’t be uncommon for a girls trip, right?
While Russini has attempted (poorly, in my opinion) to defend herself, Vrabel seemed to take accountability during his first comments on the situation, which came during a press conference earlier this week ahead of the Patriots’ offseason workouts:
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. 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.”
And while he said he was ready to move forward, last night the Patriots dropped another bombshell when the team announced that their coach would be stepping away from the team during the NFL Draft to seek counseling.
As reported by ESPN, Vrabel confirmed that he will miss day 3 of the draft on Saturday:
“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. 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.”
Now, it certainly feels like there’s more to the story here. Is there something else about to drop? Why can’t he get counseling during the week, or…you know, any time that’s not one of the most important days of the offseason? It doesn’t make a lot of sense that he’ll be with the team tonight and tomorrow, but then step away on Saturday.
Vrabel said he still plans to be in contact with the team while he’s away with family outside the state of Massachusetts, and expressed his confidence in executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, but said that he feels the time away is necessary:
“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 currently hold 11 draft picks, including the #31 overall pick tonight and 8 picks in rounds 4-7, which will be held on Saturday while the coach is away from the team.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if there’s more to this story…but it certainly sounds like things are getting worse for Vrabel.
