Mike Vrabel Responds After Photos With ‘The Athletic’ Reporter Dianna Russini Leaks: ‘This Doesn’t Deserve Any Further Response!’

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by Matthew MendivesApril 9, 2026, 1:58 am >

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel responded to leaked photos of him with The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini.

Page Six released seven photos of Vrabel and Russini at the Ambiente Sedona hotel in Arizona on April 7. Vrabel was interviewed by the New York Post later that day and was asked about the photos.

“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel said. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

Russini said that she and Vrabel were with a group of six other people. She said it’s common for her and other sports journalists to spend time together during the offseason. The Athletic defended her in a statement.

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“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said. “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.“

Both Vrabel and Russini are married with children. Although the leaked photos show them hugging and holding hands, none crossed any lines, at least according to The Athletic.

Vrabel finished his first season as the Patriots’ head coach in 2025. He led the team to their first Super Bowl since Tom Brady was their quarterback. They ultimately went on to lose to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, Russini, a former college soccer player, will be entering her 15th season as a sports reporter. She was hired by WNBC in 2011, before joining ESPN in 2015 and The Athletic in 2023.

Vrabel’s Patriots have had a wild offseason. They released Stefon Diggs and traded Garrett Bradbury, but also signed Tre’Mont Jones and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Vrabel is expected to be at the NFL Draft, which starts April 23 in Pittsburgh.