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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about recent photos showing 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 reporter 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 ludicrous,” Vrabel told the Post. “This does not deserve any further response.”
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates with members of his team after a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl LX football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (Lynne Sladky/AP)
Russini has also responded.
“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 said.
Athletic provided its own statement to the outlet.
“These images are misleading and lack significant context,” said Steven Ginsberg, managing editor of The Athletic. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a leading journalist covering the NFL and we are proud to have her at The Athletic.”
PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL RESPONDS AFTER RUNNING BACK APPEARS TO DEFEND JADEN IVEY’S ANTI-LGBTQ REMARKS
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. (David Zalubowski/AP)
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 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 won the award. He received 19 of the 50 first-place votes and had a total of 302 points.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks at a news conference after an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Charles Krupa/AP)
Vrabel first won the award while leading Tennessee Titans in 2021.
Vrabel is the seventh coach ever to win Coach of the Year for multiple franchises, joining Chuck Knox, Bill Parcells, Bruce Arians, Dan Reeves, Don Shula and George Allen.
