New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will not be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy after photos of him and journalist Dianna Russini spending time together at an Arizona resort came to light.
According to a Friday, April 18, report from ESPN’s Ben Strauss, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league will not be reviewing Vrabel’s conduct under the policy, which states that players, coaches and executives are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
Russini, 43, resigned from her post at The Athletic on Tuesday, April 14, one week after she and Vrabel, 50, were photographed together holding hands and hugging while seemingly on vacation.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini said in a written statement shared via social media on Tuesday. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
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She continued, “Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.”
When the photos were originally published on April 7, both Russini and Vrabel released statements claiming that the situation was simply platonic and professional.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel said at the time. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
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“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini said in a statement to Page Six. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
The Athletic initially supported Russini, with executive editor Steven Ginsberg saying that the photos were “misleading” and lacking “essential context.”
However, just days later on Saturday April 11, The Athletic opened its own investigation into the photos.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30,” Russini said in her resignation letter. “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.”
