Mike Vrabel addresses Dianna Russini photos and reflects on ‘difficult conversations'
The New England Patriots kicked off their voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, and the plan Tuesday was for two players to speak to the media for the first time this spring.
It appears head coach Mike Vrabel called an audible, however.
Vrabel gave an impromptu statement to reporters at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday to address the fallout stemming from photos published by the New York Post on April 7 that show him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini hugging and holding hands at a luxury hotel in Arizona.
“It was never my intention to have (the players) speak to you or address you before I did, so I asked (Patriots head of media relations Stacey James) to come today and to talk with you,” Vrabel told reporters.
In an initial statement to the Post, Vrabel described the photos as a “completely innocent interaction,” noting that “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.” But conversation around the photos and their implication has persisted, and Russini recently resigned from The Athletic while citing a “media frenzy” surrounding the story. (The NFL recently confirmed to USA TODAY that Vrabel isn’t facing any discipline from the league.)
Here is Vrabel’s full statement from Tuesday in which he detailed his communication with his players, the “difficult conversations” he’s had over the past several weeks and more:
“Thank you for your patience that you’ve shown in a personal and private matter for me and obviously everybody involved. I know that’s not easy for you, and I respect that and I appreciate your efforts in doing so.
“I understand I could have addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday very candidly as we began our offseason program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.
“It was never my intention to have (the players) speak to you or address you before I did, so I asked (Patriots head of media relations Stacey James) to come today and to talk with you. I also don’t want to take away from the weekend of the draft. This is an important time for us and our organization, and the excitement and the joy that those players are going to have that we bring onto our football team — they’re starting an amazing journey, one that should be celebrated as we welcome them onto our team.
“With that being said, I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about — with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction.
“(There) are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team. We’ll keep those private and to ourselves. I care deeply about this football team and I’m excited to coach them.
“I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus, and what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody — our fans, most importantly — will get the best version of me going forward, and that’s what I know and I’m excited to do that. But I wanted to just address this and thank you for your patience in dealing with a private and personal matter.”
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