Mike Vrabel isn't saying much about the counseling he sought this spring, but the NFL is still talking about why he needed it. In a long look at the New England Patriots coach, ESPN details how tabloid photos of Vrabel and then-Athletic reporter Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort turned last season's feel-good Super Bowl coach into an offseason lightning rod—one who briefly stepped away from the team as his future was openly questioned. The Patriots have mostly closed ranks; Vrabel declined to be interviewed, the team limited player access, and those who did talk framed it as a distraction he owned, addressed, and then moved past.
The bigger fallout, Ben Strauss and Kalyn Kahler write at ESPN, is playing out across the league. Women covering the NFL say the Vrabel-Russini saga has made already tricky source relationships even more fraught, with some coaches now refusing to be seen in one-on-one settings and clubs rethinking how staff interact with reporters. "It really sucks this came from someone who a lot of us thought approached things differently than his peers," one reporter who has covered Vrabel told ESPN. "It's just unfortunate because it felt like he understood there are challenges that women in the business face and was doing one small bit to try and push back on it."
Inside New England, Vrabel's banked goodwill and success seem intact. Outside, executives and assistants are treating his offseason as a case study in crisis—and a warning. Read ESPN's full piece for more on how the scandal is reshaping the lines between coaches and the people who cover them.
- The Athletic's internal review of the issue didn't reach a conclusion about the exact nature of the Vrabel-Russini relationship, but it found that it created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed," the report states.
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