The NFL will not open an investigation into Patriots coach Mike Vrabel over the recent pictures that showed him with NFL reporter Dianna Russini. An NFL spokesman told ESPN that Vrabel’s behavior will not be reviewed as part of the league’s personal conduct policy, which gives the league the right to look into any situation where a player, coach or executive exhibits conduct that’s “detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
Vrabel has also been conducting his normal pre-draft responsibilities with the New England Patriots, according to general manager Eliot Wolf.
“Business as usual,” Wolf said of Vrabel’s involvement.
There had been some questions about whether the league would look into Vrabel’s behavior after several photos surfaced of him hugging and holding hands with Russini, who covered the league for The Athletic prior to this week’s resignation.
The photos, which were published by the New York Post’s Page Six, were taken on March 28 at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona. The two spent some time together in a rooftop bungalow and they also sat next to each other in a hot tub. According to Vrabel, who is married, the photos don’t show anything illicit, and any other characterization is simply wrong.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told Page Six. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Vrabel was only visiting the hotel and didn’t stay the night, according to the Page Six report. One of Vrabel’s friends told the publication that the Patriots coach drove back to his own hotel, which was about two hours away from Sedona.
On Russini’s end, the long-time NFL reporter insists that she was at the hotel with a group of friends.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini told Page Six. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
The Athletic originally backed Russini in its statement after photos came out. Several days later, the company said that she was going to be placed on leave while her story was investigated. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14.
Steven Ginsberg, the executive editor of The Athletic, explained why the company decided to reopen the investigation.
“When this situation was brought to our attention, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation, and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter,” Ginsberg said. “As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”
The situation created a potential conflict of interest for The Athletic if Russini and Vrabel had anything but a professional relationship.
Prior to the photos being released, Russini and Vrabel had a working relationship that dates back to Vrabel’s time as the coach of the Tennessee Titans. At the time, Russini worked for ESPN, and she became the boots on the ground in Nashville for a good chunk of Vrabel’s six seasons with the team (2018-23). Russini left ESPN just before the start of the 2023 season to join The Athletic.
The Titans fired Vrabel after the 2023 season, but he wasn’t out of a job long. In 2025, the former Patriots linebacker was hired by New England to serve as the team’s coach. In his first year on the job, Vrabel was voted NFL Coach of the Year after a season where he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
Vrabel hasn’t held a press conference since the photos were released, but he is expected to be available to the media at some point shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft.
