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Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy came to the defense of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and New York Times/The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
Photos, originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six, showed the coach and reporter holding hands, hugging and sitting in a pool in bathing suits at a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona. While many people have been highly critical of Vrabel and Russini, McCoy took no issue with it.
“I like Mike, I love Mike. I take care of my business. They work together,” McCoy told TMZ Sports.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeSean McCoy runs with the football against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 2021. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
“Everybody makes a big deal out of everything. He’s a great coach, he’s a great player. He was just in the Super Bowl, they got something to talk about. That’s what happened.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Both Vrabel and Russini are married, and both denied any wrongdoing. Vrabel married his wife, Jen, in 1999 and they have two sons together. The 50-year-old coach said the interaction was completely innocent.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion is ridiculous,” Vrabel told the New York Post. “This does not deserve any further response.”
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches during the first half of the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Russini, who married her husband Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 and they have two sons together, said the photos misrepresented what actually happened.
“The photos do not represent the group of six people who hung out during the day. Like most reporters in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini told the New York Post.
Vrabel took the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as the Patriots’ head coach and won NFL Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
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Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California on February 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Russini, 43, joined The Athletic in 2023 and left ESPN after more than eight years.
McCoy played 12 seasons in the NFL. He spent six with the Philadelphia Eagles, four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, one with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 37-year-old won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019 and the Buccaneers in 2020. In 170 games, McCoy ran for 11,102 yards with 73 touchdowns while catching 518 passes for 3,898 yards and 16 touchdowns.
