Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Dianna M. Russini, a top NFL reporter for The Athletic, have become the focus of internet buzz after the two were photographed socializing at an Arizona resort in March.
The photographs were published Tuesday in Page Six, the New York Post’s gossip column, and in one image Vrabel and Russini are shown lightly hugging each other.
In separate statements to the New York Post, Vrabel, Russini, and Steven Ginsberg, Russini’s editor at The Athletic, dismissed any suggestion that the interaction between the two was unprofessional. The Athletic is owned by the New York Times.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the Post in a statement. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini said the photos capture a journalist at work, nothing else.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” she said in a statement to the Post. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Ginsberg called the photos, which were reportedly taken in March, “misleading.”
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” he said in a statement. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.”
The Globe has reached out to the New England Patriots and The Athletic for comment.
This is a developing story.
John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe.
