Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NY Times reporter Dianna Russini are trying to downplay the viral photos of them hanging out together at a hotel in Arizona.
On Tuesday, photos of Vrabel and Russini in a hot tub at a luxury hotel in Arizona went viral on social media.
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.
Both Vrabel and Russini claim the photos are innocent and that they were hanging with a group of friends.
“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.”
The Post’s witnesses claim they did not see anyone else with Vrabel and Russini at the hotel.
But three other eyewitnesses told us that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43. Asked if the Pats coach visited the hotel with a group of friends, one eyewitness said: “No, he was with a girl.” And our sequence of photographs taken at various points during the day show only Vrabel and Russini.
As of now it seems like the NY Times/Athletic are sticking with Russini and backing her side of the story.