New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Deanna Russini were spotted having breakfast together while out at the Ambiente Resort in Sedona, Arizona, last month, as confirmed in new exclusive photos obtained by Page Six.
According to sources, although both are married to strangers, they had dinner together at around 10:15 a.m. local time on March 28.
Multiple witnesses have claimed that the two were eating alone, and the photos we have obtained seem to support that. However, sources close to Russini claim that the sportswriter and NFL coach attended the morning meal with friends.
Sources said that after breakfast, the two walked separately throughout the day to different parts of the resort, apparently trying to go incognito.
“One of them would walk ahead, and the other would wait a few seconds and then follow a few steps ahead,” the source claimed, as if they “didn’t want to be seen walking together.”
Page Six has reached out to representatives for Vrabel and Russini for comment on the newly released images.
Earlier this month, Page Six originally published a photo of Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, holding hands and hugging each other at a boutique resort with the breathtaking Bullins Mesa Mountains in the background.
After breakfast on March 28, witnesses saw the two relaxing in the pool for about an hour and relaxing side by side in the hot tub.
Later in the evening, the two appeared to do a little dance together while hugging each other at sunset, as seen in our exclusive photos.
Multiple witnesses told Page Six that no one else was with Vrabel and Russini at the time.
However, Mr Russini and Mr Vrabel have previously claimed they were at the resort with friends and that they were simply not pictured.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel, who has two children with his wife Jen, told Page Six in a statement at the time. “I don’t deserve any further response.”
“The photo does not represent a group of six people hanging out during the day,” said Russini, who is married with two children. “Like most NFL journalists, the reporter interacts with sources away from the stadium and other venues.”
A week after the photo went viral, Russini announced his resignation from his position at The Athletic as The Athletic launched an investigation into the matter.
“I have now decided to resign before my current contract expires on June 30th,” the sportswriter wrote in part of his resignation letter obtained by Page Six.
“I do so not because I accept the narrative built around this episode, but because I refuse to give it further oxygen or let it define me or my career.”
Meanwhile, Vrabel spoke to reporters for the first time about the photo scandal at a pre-NFL Draft press conference earlier this week, admitting he had had “difficult conversations” with his family.
He also thanked the media for their “patience” in what he described as a “personal and private matter.”
“What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, this team, the staff, the coaches, and most importantly, the fans, will continue to push me to be the best I can be,” Vrabel told reporters Tuesday at Gillette Stadium. “That’s something I know and I’m excited to do.”
The Patriots coach avoided answering any further questions about Russini during the presser and dodged further questions in an off-camera press conference.
