Mike Vrabel will not be subject to an internal conduct review as part of the league’s personal conduct policy after a photo of him and Deanna Russini was published on Page Six.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said the NFL is not investigating the actions of the New England Patriots’ head coach as part of its personal conduct guidelines, which require players, coaches and executives to avoid “conduct that undermines the integrity and public trust of the National Football League,” ESPN reported Friday.
The NFL and the Patriots did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Vrabel, 50, recently came under fire after he was seen holding hands and hugging Russini in a photo published in Page Six magazine earlier this month.
Although both are married to strangers, they visited Ambiente, a luxury boutique resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Page Six’s spies claimed that the two spent the day together on March 28, eating breakfast together at a hotel restaurant before lounging by the pool and hot tub together.
Later, the two were seen hugging each other on the private rooftop of their hotel bungalow.
At one point, a witness told us they saw the two dancing together.
In response to the photos, Vrabel said in a statement: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable and deserves no further response.”
In a separate statement of his own, Russini, 43, added, “The photo does not represent the group of six people hanging out together during the day. Like most NFL journalists, the reporter interacts with sources away from the stadium and other venues.”
Still, Russini resigned from his position at The Athletic amid an internal investigation into the drama.
“When the Page Six article first appeared, The Athletic clearly supported me and expressed confidence in my work and pride in journalism, for which I am grateful,” she wrote in the letter.
“In the days that followed, unfortunately, various media commentators continued to make wild speculations that were completely divorced from the facts.”
Ms. Russini went on to explain that she chose to quit her job to stop the continuation of the speculation and damage caused by this ordeal.
