New England Patriots executives said NFL coach Mike Vrabel was seen holding hands and hugging reporter Deanna Russini, who remains “very involved” in evaluating players for the 2026-27 season.
“It’s business as usual,” Elliott Wolf told reporters during Monday’s pre-draft press conference, according to People.
“He’s been playing with us a little bit more than last year. He’s contributing. He’s seen a lot of players.”
Mr. Vrabel, 50, skipped a press conference last month after he was photographed holding hands with Mr. Russini, 43, at the Ambiente Resort in Sedona, Arizona, according to photos obtained by Page Six last week.
The photo also showed the couple, who are married to other people, hugging each other with the Bullins Mesa Mountains in the background.
Page Six spies said Vrabel and The Athletic’s sports journalist were spotted having breakfast together and enjoying time in the pool and hot tub.
They also spent time together on a private rooftop overlooking the red rock formations surrounding the resort.
Vrabel told Page Six that the photos he obtained were “totally innocuous interactions,” while Russini said the photos “do not represent a group of six people hanging out during the day.”
Both Mr. Russini and Mr. Vrabel insist they were with friends, who simply weren’t in the photo.
Additionally, a source close to the journalist revealed that she was staying at a hotel with two female friends for a hiking trip.
Meanwhile, a friend close to Vrabel said he drove to Sedona with a friend.
The coach and his friend then met up with Russini and friends before driving back to their hotel, two hours away, the source added.
However, witnesses at the resort said they did not see Vrabel and Russini with other people.
After the photo was published, Page Six was informed that Russini, a senior NFL insider, had been removed from The Athletic, a New York Times publication, and that the paper was “reviewing her reporting.” The Atlantic declined to comment.
Russini married Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 and they have two children together.
Vrabel is married to his wife, Jen, for at least 26 years and they are also the parents of two sons.
