New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday he has had “difficult conversations” with his family, the organization and his team over photos showing him with NFL reporter Dianna Russini, marking a shift from his initial dismissal of the images as “laughable.”
Vrabel, speaking briefly to reporters at Gillette Stadium on the first day of the team’s voluntary offseason program, described the matter as “personal and private” but emphasized personal accountability two weeks after the photos were published by the New York Post’s Page Six.
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” Vrabel said. “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.”
He added: “We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction.”
The comments come after Vrabel initially told the Post on April 7 that photos of him and Russini at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28 showed “a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
The images, taken at the adults-only Ambiente resort about two hours from the NFL’s annual league meetings, showed the pair — both married to other people — holding hands, hugging, relaxing by the pool and sitting in a hot tub.
Here’s Mike Vrabel’s statement pic.twitter.com/LkY8FypVy1
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) April 21, 2026
Russini, then a top NFL insider for The Athletic, and Vrabel both said at the time that the photos lacked context and that others in their group were not pictured. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14, saying in a statement that she had “no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.”
The NFL has said it will not investigate Vrabel under its personal conduct policy.
On Tuesday, Vrabel thanked reporters for their patience and said he waited to address the media until after speaking with his players the previous day. He said he did not want to distract from the upcoming NFL draft or the excitement around the team’s offseason.
“I care deeply about this football team and I’m excited to coach them,” he said. “I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus and what I can promise you is, my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward.”
Vrabel did not take questions and did not mention Russini by name.
The episode has drawn widespread attention in NFL circles, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest for a prominent reporter and a head coach, though both have maintained the interactions were innocent. Russini had covered the Patriots and Vrabel extensively during her career.
Vrabel, hired by the Patriots in January after a successful run as coach of the Tennessee Titans, is entering his first full season in New England. The team begins its offseason program this week ahead of the draft later this month.
Flip the pages for the photos of Vrabel looking cozy with Russini at the resort.
