Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Vrabel is checking himself into counseling, while Russini has removed herself from social media.
In a press conference Thursday ahead of the NFL Draft, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel effectively confirmed the affair that both he and Dianna Russini had spent weeks denying.
“I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about: my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans,” Vrabel said. “My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to,” Vrabel said.
He also addressed calling the original photos “laughable” — the statement he made when the Ambiente Sedona photos first surfaced. Just a few hours after Vrabel’s statement, TMZ published new photos of Vrabel and Russini kissing at a New York City bar, taken in 2020.
“That’s a private and personal matter. It was an attempt to protect your family,” he said. He announced he is seeking counseling and will skip the final day of the NFL Draft to be with his family. “My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be.”
Dianna Russini deleted her social media accounts just hours after Mike Vrabel gave a statement to the media that contradicted hers
Russini responded by deactivating her X account, where she had over 450,000 followers, and switching her Instagram to private after previously insisting the relationship was strictly professional and that the Sedona photos lacked context. Her resignation letter from The Athletic earlier this month shirked any responsibility.
The Patriots released a statement voicing full support for Vrabel, saying the organization respects “the steps he is taking” to be the best version of himself for his family and the team.
Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said ahead of the NFL Draft that the league would not be investigating Vrabel under its conduct policy, instead saying that it is a “personal matter.”
NFL fans, however, don’t seem to agree and are calling for investigations into tampering.