Mystery surrounding Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini isn't over yet: Vrabel wanted to publicly defend Diana, then something changed his mind

New reports have revealed that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel initially wanted to go further in defending Dianna Russini when their relationship became a national story, only to settle on a much narrower public response.

Vrabel’s first instinct was reportedly not to brush aside the Russini controversy, but to defend her.

When photographs of the New England Patriots head coach and the former Athletic NFL reporter surfaced in April, Vrabel ultimately issued a brief statement calling the interactions “completely innocent.”

ESPN has now reported that he initially wanted to say considerably more, including publicly vouching for Russini ’s integrity as a journalist. That stronger statement never came.

Instead, Vrabel told Page Six that the photos “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.” Before adding: “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

The decision looks more significant months later because The Athletic has since completed an extensive review into Russini ’s relationship with Vrabel and determined that she violated the outlet’s disclosure and conflict standards.

Wanted to defend Russini’s journalism

The controversy began with photographs from an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, showing Vrabel and Russini holding hands, embracing and spending time together in a pool and hot tub.

According to ESPN, Russini knew the photographs were likely to be published several days beforehand and hired a crisis communications specialist. She also coordinated with Vrabel over the response.

A person who spoke with Vrabel at the time told ESPN that the coach wanted to issue a stronger statement defending Russini’s reporting ethics before ultimately choosing the shorter response.

Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week after the original photographs were published.

Additional images subsequently emerged, increasing scrutiny around the nature of the relationship and the question of whether it had been properly disclosed while Russini was covering the NFL.

No clear evidence of favorable coverage

The Athletic’s internal review was substantial. Editorial standards director Mike Semel examined 903 written stories, 204 episodes of the Scoop City podcast, 77 videos and 25 outside appearances, while also interviewing 14 colleagues who had worked closely with Russini .

The outlet ultimately concluded that the undisclosed relationship was “in clear violation” of its newsroom standards. But the review did not find clear evidence that Russini had deliberately shaped her reporting to help Vrabel . Russini has stood by her work.

“I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career,” she said following publication of the review.

Vrabel , by contrast, has made clear that he does not intend to continue discussing the controversy.

“No, I don’t have any reaction,” he said when asked about The Athletic’s findings. “We’ve moved on and focused on Seattle and focused on the Patriots and focused on getting better this week.”

That may be where Vrabel wants the story to end. The latest reporting, however, adds another revealing detail to how the controversy was managed at the beginning.

The Athletic didn't definitively establish the full nature of the relationship between Vrabel and Russini . But it's Vrabel initially considered placing his own credibility behind a much stronger public defense of her before choosing a very different strategy.