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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 swimsuits poolside.
The photos, originally published by Page Six of the New York Post, also show the coach and the 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 to the contrary is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post. “It deserves no 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 on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (Lynne Sladky/AP)
Russini also responded.
“The photos do not depict the group of six people who were hanging out together during the day. Like most NFL journalists, reporters interact with sources far from stadiums and other locations.” said Russini.
The Athletic provided its own statement to the outlet.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” said Steven Ginsberg, editor-in-chief of The Athletic. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a top 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 the first half of the AFC NFL Championship 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 against his opponent Sunday at Super Bowl LX, Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks, Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers, Liam Coen of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
This is the second time in his coaching career that Vrabel has won this award. He received 19 of 50 first place votes and had a total of 302 points.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during a news conference after an NFL playoff football game in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Charles Krupa/AP)
Vrabel first won the award while leading the Tennessee Titans in 2021.
Vrabel is the seventh coach to win Coach of the Year for multiple franchises, joining Chuck Knox, Bill Parcells, Bruce Arians, Dan Reeves, Don Shula and George Allen.
