Even though the NFL Draft is less than a week away, one of the most widely circulated stories in the league these days is the recently-emerged photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort Arizona. The pictures have kicked off a wave of speculation about their relationship with each other, even though all of the parties involved have claimed that they were lacking context.
The league itself seems to agree with that interpretation, or at the
very least sees no violation of any rules or guidelines. In fact, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN that there was no ongoing review into the Patriots’ coach at this point in time.
Vrabel, the reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year, continues to coach the Patriots and is preparing for next week’s NFL draft. He did not respond to a request for comment. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is not reviewing Vrabel’s behavior as part of the league’s personal conduct policy, which states players, coaches and executives are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
A spokesman for the Patriots did not respond to a question about whether it would review Vrabel’s relationship with Russini.
Purely from a football perspective, no investigation into Vrabel being launched by the NFL is good news for him and the Patriots. Even though there naturally is a chance that the photos are indeed not incriminating in any way, such a league review would still have hung over the team and its coach as they head toward the draft and the start of the offseason workout program.
In a statement to the New York Post, which published the photos, Vrabel said that they would “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.” He has not since been made available to the media by the Patriots.
The expectation is that Vrabel will speak at some point during the draft, however, even though it seems unlikely that he will further discuss the topic.
Dianna Russini, meanwhile, has since resigned from her position as an NFL writer with The Athletic.
