The New England Patriots reportedly tried to stop the New York Post from publishing photos showing Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini together at an Arizona resort.
InTouch reported on Sunday, April 19, that Patriots owner Robert Kraft “intervened” and attempted “to kill the story” with help from a “crisis strategist” before it went viral — to no avail.
The Post first published the photos on April 7, showing the Patriots head coach and the sports reporter holding hands and embracing at the resort. Both are married to other people and have children.
Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, have both insisted the photos were innocent, with Russini adding that they were with a group of people who did not appear in the pictures. She resigned from The Athletic on Tuesday, April 14, amid an internal investigation into the photos. The investigation is ongoing, despite Russini’s departure, according to a staff memo from executive editor Steven Ginsburg that leaked last week.
Rumors of the Patriots allegedly trying to kill the story came two days after ESPN reported that Russini contacted a crisis communications expert to help deal with the fallout.
“Russini, Vrabel and executives from The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times, scrambled to respond,” ESPN’s Ben Strauss reported on Friday, April 17.
He added that the Post “was open to changing the tone of the story or possibly not running it if Russini and Vrabel could provide compelling evidence to back up their statements that they had each been on a trip with friends.”
As of Monday, April 20, no one has publicly come forward to say they were with the pair when the photos were taken.
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter,” Ginsburg wrote in the memo, which was sent to staff via Slack on April 14. “As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”
Less than 20 minutes after Ginsburg sent the memo, Russini shared her resignation letter via X.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she wrote.
Russini added, “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.”
