The New England Patriots have been operating “business as usual” as they prepare for the NFL Draft amid the drama surrounding head coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini.
Patriots general manager, Eliot Wolf, met with the media for the team’s pre-draft press conference on Monday, April 13, where he insisted that Vrabel, 50, has been “very involved” in the franchise’s draft-day planning.
“Business as usual,” Wolf, 44, said. “He’s been in there with us probably this round a little more than he was last year.”
Though Vrabel is usually the one to give the pre-draft press conference, he is not expected to address the media again until after the draft, according to ESPN. The draft will take place April 23 to 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“He’s been in there, he’s been contributing,” Wolf added of Vrabel. “He’s watched a ton of the players. He tries to watch every player that we give to each position coach…he has an opinion on these guys. It’s helpful. Sometimes there’s players that the scouts like, me included, and hell be like well this is the reason maybe this guy’s not the best fit for us.”
Vrabel is entering his second season as New England head coach after leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl in year one. His offseason took a shocking turn last week when Page Six published photos of him and Russini, 43, together at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona. The pictures include shots of the two linking hands and with their arms wrapped around each other.
Both Vrabel and Russini have insisted that the photos, taken March 28, are innocent and that they were at the resort with other friends who were not pictured. As of Monday, April 13, no one has come forward to say they were with the two and they have declined to say who was with them.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told Page Six. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini added, “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.”
The Athletic initially stood by Russini but has since launched an investigation into the photos, hoping to determine who, if anyone, was with the pair at the resort.
“The Athletic is investigating the conduct of a senior N.F.L. reporter, Dianna Russini, after the publication of photographs that showed her with Mike Vrabel, the head coach for the New England Patriots, according to a person familiar with the inquiry,” The Athletic confirmed on Saturday, April 11.
The report continued, “The Athletic’s editorial guidelines require that their journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility.”
Russini will not be permitted to work during the investigation.
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