Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini now have shared their sides of the story.
On Tuesday, the New York Post published exclusive photos of the New England Patriots head coach and the NFL insider together at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Ariz. The photos show Vrabel and Russini -- both of whom are married -- holding hands, dancing, hugging, and lying in a hot tub. However, the photos don't show any blatant evidence of romantic activity.
In statements to the Post, Vrabel and Russini both claimed they were at the hotel with groups of friends who weren't shown in the photos. They also denied any romantic involvement.
Vrabel: "These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response."
Russini: "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."
New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel https://t.co/kgk6uoumOU pic.twitter.com/J2dtb6HuyA
— New York Post (@nypost) April 7, 2026
Oli Coleman of the Post offered additional details of the situation.
"A Page Six spy tells us that the pair — both married to other people — had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub," Coleman wrote.
"Our spy spotted Vrabel and Russini again that evening on the private rooftop of one of the hotel’s bungalows, which features glass walls offering panoramic views of the state’s famed Red Rock formations. ... The spy said they saw the pair briefly dance together."
The Post's sources also painted a different picture than the one shared by Vrabel and Russini.
"A source close to Russini says she was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two female pals," Coleman wrote. "One of Vrabel’s friends told Page Six that they and the coach drove up to Sedona for the day with another pal and that they all drove back to their own hotel, some two hours away, after hanging out with Russini and her gang.
"But three other eyewitnesses told us that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43. Asked if the Pats coach visited the hotel with a group of friends, one eyewitness said: 'No, he was with a girl.' And our sequence of photographs taken at various points during the day show only Vrabel and Russini."
Russini has a well-documented history of covering Vrabel, including a stint as ESPN's Tennessee Titans reporter in the late 2010s. She's continued to publish sourced information on Vrabel and his teams in the years since.
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