Sports
NFL Coach Mike Vrabel Says Questionable Photos Taken at Resort With Reporter Dianna Russini Were ‘Innocent’
Eyebrows were raised after New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were spotted spending time together at a luxury resort in Arizona.
In photos obtained by Page Six, the pair seem relaxed in each other’s company at the Ambiente resort in Sedona and in one shot appear to be holding hands.
The pair spent time together on Saturday, March 28, at the adults-only resort, reportedly lounging side-by-side in a hot tub and then later being seen on a private rooftop, which is only accessible from one of the hotel’s two-person, $2,160-a-night bungalows.
Page Six points out that both Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, who is the New York Times’ top NFL reporter, are married to other people.
Vrabel has been wed to wife Jen since 1999. They share sons Tyler, 25, and Carter, 24. Russini has two young sons with her husband of five years, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt.
The two also have a longstanding professional connection. Russini previously covered Vrabel during his tenure with the Tennessee Titans which began in 2018, and they have remained familiar figures within NFL circles.
In response to the story, both have downplayed any speculation about their relationship and have said they were with friends who were not in the photographs. A source close to Russini insisted she was on a hiking trip and stayed at the hotel with two female pals.
Vrabel later responded, telling the Post: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini gave her own statement: “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.”
A number of eyewitnesses had insisted to the Post in the original story that they did not see any friends when the pair were hanging out together.
