Mike Vrabel Gives Public Statement on Dianna Russini Scandal

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel opened up his Tuesday press conference with a brief statement regarding the fallout from the recent Dianna Russini scandal.

Vrabel and the NFL reporter, who are both married to other people, were photographed holding hands and embracing at an Arizona resort last month.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive," Vrabel told reporters as he stepped up on the podium.

"We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field you have to make good decisions," he continued. "That includes me, that starts we me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction."

Vrabel apologized for not addressing the issue earlier. He said he wanted to first speak to his team, who reported to team facilities for the first day of voluntary OTAs on Monday.

Full statement from Mike Vrabel @newftbj pic.twitter.com/kXJodtUIce

— Kevin J. Stone (@kstone06) April 21, 2026

"Those are comments and questions that I've answered for the team and with the team and we'll keep those private and to ourselves. I care deeply about this football team and I'm excited to coach them," Vrabel continued. "I also know that I'm going to attack each day with humility and focus. And what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly will get the best version of me going forward. And that's what I know. I'm excited to do that, but I wanted to just address this and thank you for dealing with a private and personal matter."

Vrabel did not take any follow-up questions regarding the Russini situation.

Russini resigned from her position as head NFL reporter for The Athletic on April 14.