NFL reporter shares official statement after being seen holding hands with coach
NFL reporter Dianna Russini has shared a statement after photos surfaced of her holding hands with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
Last week, Page Six from the New York Post got pictures taken back in March showing the two holding hands on what looks like the roof of a private bungalow in Sedona, Arizona, and also in a pool together. Both Russini and Vrabel are married to other people.
Vrabel told Page Six that the photos were “completely innocent” and said, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini, who is a senior NFL insider for The Athletic, said the photos don’t tell the full story about the group of six people who were hanging out that day. The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg called the images “misleading” and said they “lack essential context.” He added, “These were public interactions in front of many people.”
The Athletic has started an internal review of the photos, but Russini has chosen to step down from her job before the review is finished.
In a letter to editor Ginsberg, she said the “media frenzy” around her and Vrabel is “getting worse, fueled by repeated leaks.”
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication all through my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever reported,” she wrote on her Bluesky account.
“When the Page Six story first came out, The Athletic was fully behind me, proud of my work and confident in my journalism. I’m very thankful for that.
“But in the days after, some media voices started wild speculation that isn’t based on facts.
“This media storm ignores the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It keeps growing, fed by leaks, and I don’t want to be part of a public inquiry that has caused more harm than I’m willing to accept.
“So, I’ve decided to step aside now, before my contract ends on June 30. I’m not doing this because I agree with the story told about this situation, but because I don’t want to keep adding fuel to it or let it define me or my career.”