New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed recent photos that show him and New York Times and The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini in bathing suits by a pool.
The photos, originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six, also show the coach and journalist holding hands and hugging on the roof of a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
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Russini has also responded.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.” Russini said.
The Athletic provided its own statement to the outlet.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
Vrabel is coming off a season in which he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl and won NFL Coach of the Year.
Vrabel won the award over his opponent on Sunday in Super Bowl LX, Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald, San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Liam Coen and Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson.
It was the second time in Vrabel’s coaching career that he has won the award. He received 19 of the 50 first-place votes and had a total of 302 points.
Vrabel first won the award while leading the Tennessee Titans in 2021.
Vrabel is the seventh coach to ever win Coach of the Year for multiple franchises, joining Chuck Knox, Bill Parcells, Bruce Arians, Dan Reeves, Don Shula and George Allen.
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