After the publication of photos of New England Patriots Head coach Mike Vrabel spent time with NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury hotel in Arizona. Russini said the photos were taken out of context and his employer came to his defense.
In photos published by Page Six on Tuesdaythe Patriots coach and The Athletic reporter are seen poolside, in a hot tub and on the rooftop deck of the luxury Ambiente Hotel in Sedona.
Two of the photos show them with their hands intertwined and hugging on the bridge. Russini and Vrabel are married.
In a statement to NBC News on Wednesday, The Athletic editor-in-chief Steven Ginsberg said the photos were “misleading and lacked essential context.”
“These were public interactions in front of many people,” Ginsberg said. “Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we are proud to have her at The Athletic.”
Russini said in his own statement that many journalists in his field interact with “sources” outside stadiums and workplaces.
“The photos do not depict the group of six people who were hanging out together during the day,” she said.
A representative for the New England Patriots did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Vrabel denied any allegations of impropriety in a statement to Page Six. “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion to the contrary is laughable,” he said. “It deserves no further response.”
Page Six offered conflicting accounts from anonymous sources as to Vrabel and Russini’s time together at the hotel. An unnamed friend of the coach told the outlet they were both staying a few hours away and drove over to meet Russini, who was staying in Sedona on a trip with his friends.
Vrabel was in Tempe, Arizona, for a recognition event at Arizona State University on March 27, Page Six reported.
Other witnesses, also anonymous, told Page Six that they did not see Vrabel or Russini with other people.
“No, he was with a girl,” a witness told Page Six when asked if they saw Vrabel with a group of friends.