Dave Portnoy speculates that there was “something more than friendship going on” when New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and New York Times NFL reporter Deanna Russini were photographed together at an Arizona hotel last month.
Vrabel, 50, said in a statement to Page Six after we obtained the photo on April 7 that the photo of her and Russini showed a “totally innocent interaction” and that “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
Russini, 43, said the photo “does not represent the group of six people hanging out during the day,” adding, “Like most NFL journalists, the reporter is interacting with sources away from the stadium and other venues.”
The Barstool Sports founder weighed in on the bombshell photo and the aftermath of its release on Monday’s episode of his sports talk show “Wake Up Barstool.”
Portnoy did not claim to have inside information, but expressed skepticism about the denials. “They’re both married and have children, so it’s a very sad story in that respect,” Portnoy, 49, began.
Vrabel and his wife of 26 years, Jen, have sons Tyler and Carter. Russini and her husband of nearly six years, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmid, also have two children.
Portnoy continued, “Vrabel, this is a completely personal matter, right? Like, whether he’s cheating or not, this doesn’t affect your job. This has nothing to do with your job as a football coach.”
But Portnoy claimed the issue was more “dangerous” for Russini after Page Six published photos of her and Vrabel holding hands and hugging at Ambiente in Sedona on March 28.
“They must have told you somewhere not to cross the line with your sources,” he surmised. “The reason we can’t be intimate is because we might end up treating each other differently.”
But Portnoy also argued that Athletic reporters should not “lose their jobs” even if inappropriate conduct is confirmed.
“She’s probably going to get fired because she crossed the line at work. Now she’s not dealing with nuclear codes. She’s not dealing with politicians. It’s football,” he explained.
“So should I lose my job because I got close to my coach?” Portnoy wondered. “Probably not.”
Portnoy didn’t buy their “excuses” and argued that “it probably wasn’t their best move from a PR standpoint.”
“They both had this excuse, and it’s the same excuse of, ‘Hey, we’re with some group of people and it’s not showing.’ It’s very strange that at this point, none of these supposed friends are coming forward and saying, ‘Oh, we were with them.’ This is the proof. We stand with them,” Portnoy said.
“So I think it’s clear that there was probably something more going on here than friendship,” he surmised.
The Athletic, a prominent digital sports publication that The Times acquired for $550 million in 2022, launched an investigation into the photo of Mr. Vrabel and Mr. Russini last week, according to people familiar with the matter.
“The Athletic immediately began an investigation after Page Six reached out to Deanna for comment,” a person familiar with the investigation told us on Friday.
The person added that The Athletic is investigating the situation and “reviewing (Russini’s) reporting,” adding that Russini will not report to the newspaper while the investigation is ongoing.
“While the apparent conduct in the photo raised questions about[Athletic Editor-in-Chief Stephen Ginsburg]and The Athletic’s leadership, initial investigation suggested a lack of context provided by the photo, particularly the presence of a larger group of friends,” the source continued.
However, they added: “New details from the six-page report and information from the investigation raise further concerns and are currently being considered further.” “The investigation is ongoing.”
The Athletic declined to comment.
