On Tuesday, Page Six shared a series of photographs showing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury hotel in Arizona.
The photos reportedly show Vrabel and Russini at the Ambiente, an adult-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, two weeks ago.
The series of photos shows the two hugging, holding hands, and lounging side by side in the pool.
Page Six says that a source close to Russini says she was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two friends, while a friend of Vrabel said he and the Patriots coach drove to Sedona for the day before driving back to their hotel after spending time with Russini’s friend group (Vrabel was at an Arizona State scouting event in Tempe on Friday, March 27). Three other sources told Page Six that they did not see anyone with Russini and Vrabel, and none of the photos provided to the New York Post celebrity gossip arm show anyone else with the two.
Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, both of whom are married, have a working relationship that dates back to Russini’s time with ESPN as the Tennessee Titans beat reporter, when Vrabel became that team’s head coach in 2018. However, Page Six’s speculative report and photos seem to insinuate a deeper relationship.
Russini denied those insinuations, telling Page Six that “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.”
Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, also offered a comment to Page Six.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” he 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 also told Page Six that “these photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.