© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini vacation photos apparently didn’t go for very much.
Earlier this week, the New England Patriots head coach and an NY Times NFL reporter were photographed hanging out together at a luxury hotel in Arizona, at a pool or hot tub. The photos of the encounter were released by the NY Post.
Via NY Post
A Page Six spy tells us that the pair — both married to other people — had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.
Our spy spotted Vrabel and Russini again that evening on the private rooftop of one of the hotel’s bungalows,which features glass walls offering panoramic views of the state’s famed Red Rock formations. Roofs are only accessible from the two-person bungalows, which cost up to $2,160 a night.
Photos show the two hugging at sunset, and weaving their fingers together as they stand face-to-face. The spy said they saw the pair briefly dance together.
According to Ryan Glasspeigel of Front Office Sports, the photos of Vrabel and Russini were shopped around to multiple outlets, including TMZ, before the MY Post bought them, and it sounds like it didn’t cost them very much.
TMZ received a tip about the photos of the Patriots’ head coach and the senior NFL insider for The Athletic, FOS has learned.
An anonymous tipster reached out to the outlet, saying that Vrabel was hanging out with an unidentified woman. When TMZ staffers evaluated the photos, they eventually realized that it was Russini. The anonymous tipster was not from a known paparazzi or photo agency, and requested an unspecified sum in the “four figures.” As TMZ’s newsroom deliberated whether this was a legitimate story or too “bedroom police-y,” the Post’s Page Six vertical ran with it, rendering the debate moot, a source said.
Russini and Vrabel have already released statements denying allegations that they were romantically involved at the hotel.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.” said Russini “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”