It appears the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal has taken yet another turn.
News broke over a week ago that the New England Patriots head coach and former NFL insider were photographed together at an adults-only hotel in Arizona during the NFL’s annual league meeting.
Since then, Russini has resigned from her position with The Athletic amid an investigation into the hotel incident, while Vrabel has suffered no professional fallout.
It seems this story won’t be dying down anytime soon, and new details about the hotel incident keep coming to light.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Got Involved
GettyNew England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and owner Robert Kraft
According to Kayla Aldecoa of In Touch, Patriots owner Robert Kraft attempted to shield Vrabel from the backlash of the Russini scandal days before the New York Post published the story.
“Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, tried to stop the New York Post from publishing shocking photos of head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini, according to multiple sources,” Aldecoa wrote.
According to Aldecoa, Vrabel (and Russini) was given time to respond to the photos, as was confirmed by ESPN’s Ben Strauss last week. During that time, the Patriots were made aware of the scandal, and Kraft attempted to prevent the story from coming out.
“Robert Kraft intervened and had his honchos pressure The Post before they published and tried to kill the story,” a source told In Touch. “The Post 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.”
Vrabel Not Facing Any Punishment
GettyDianna Russini resigned at The Athletic one week after private photos of her and Mike Vrabel surfaced.
While Russini’s career as a reporter appears to be over, it doesn’t seem that Vrabel will face any form of punishment for his part in things.
Strauss reported that the NFL is declining to look into the matter, and it doesn’t appear the Patriots plan to either.
“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,’” Strauss reported.
“A spokesman for the Patriots did not respond to a question about whether it would review Vrabel’s relationship with Russini.”
Though Russini technically didn’t face any sort of punishment per se (she wasn’t suspended or fired), it’s doubtful another news outlet will hire her to report on the NFL given the speculation that she traded sexual favors for scoops.
Conversely, Vrabel, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, has avoided the media since the incident (he didn’t speak during the team’s pre-draft press conference) but one would expect him to have to face reporters at some point.
Patriots Tried to Kill NY Post’s Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Story: Report