Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Once New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft got wind of the explosive Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel story, he tried to pressure the New York Post into killing it. That’s the “Patriots’ way,” after all.
According to reports, Patriots owner Robert Kraft attempted to intervene before the New York Post published the scandalous photos of former ESPN and The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel by having crisis strategist pressure the paper to kill the story.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft tried to pressure The New York Post into killing the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel story
Reports indicate that The Post — which published the photos of Russini and Vrabel canoodling at a high-end Sedona resort after TMZ passed on them — gave Vrabel a “longer time to respond than what is considered industry norms, and Kraft took advantage of that extended timeframe to put pressure on the reporter and the newspaper.”
“A notorious crisis strategist made the call but was unsuccessful in neutering the story,” reported InTouch.
The Post reportedly told Vrabel and Russini it would pull the story if either could provide compelling evidence supporting their claim that the resort visit was an innocent group outing, but neither could. The Athletic also asked Russini for similar proof, which she was unable to provide.
While The Athletic initially backed Russini, further investigation caused them to reevaluate their stance and are now investigating her reporting. Russini resigned from the New York Times’ owned outlet last week but did not accept any blame.
Vrabel, meanwhile, has been entirely MIA since the story went public. Boston reporters believe that Vrabel is going to, at the very least, have to address the team about the incident or he risks losing the trust of the locker room. Despite the growing controversy, the NFL confirmed it is not investigating Vrabel under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The Patriots have the 31st pick in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, which will kick off in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.