New England Patriots
“We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, we have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me.”
Speaking to reporters at the Patriots’ recently-opened training facility in Foxborough, Mike Vrabel issued a new statement on the controversial photos that were taken of him and a former reporter for The Athletic, Dianna Russini, at an Arizona resort earlier this year.
Vrabel, who did not acknowledge Russini by name as part of his nearly three-minute statement, acknowledged that he was going through a “personal and private matter” and had already gone through some “difficult conversations” with his family, team, and many others over the last few weeks.
Here is Vrabel’s full statement to the media on Tuesday afternoon:
“Let me first begin by saying thank you for your patience that you’ve shown in a personal and private matter for me, and obviously everybody involved. I know that that’s not easy for you, and I respect that, and I appreciate your efforts in doing so. I understand that I could have addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday, very candidly, as we began our offseason program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.
“[Patriots VP of Media Relations] Stacey [James] had mentioned the players’ availability [today] and it was never my intention to have them speak to you or address you before I did … I also don’t want to take away from the draft, the weekend of the draft. This is an important time for us as an organization, and the excitement and the joy that those players are going to have that we bring onto our football team. They’re starting an amazing journey, one that should be celebrated as we welcome them to our team.
“With that being said, I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the players, those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, we have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. 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.
“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. That’s what I know and I’m excited to do that. But I wanted to, one, just address this, and thank you for your patience in dealing with the private and personal matter. Thank you.”
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel said earlier this month, per the New York Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
This story has drawn plenty of headlines over the last few weeks, with Russini announcing on April 14 that she had resigned from The Athletic.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Russini said in a letter sent to The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg and obtained by The Associated Press.
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Vrabel was asked by reporters on Tuesday about Russini’s resignation.
“I respect and I appreciate every single question, but I’m not going to be able to comment on anything as it relates to that,” Vrabel said, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “I appreciate your job and what you guys have got to do, but I have to make my comments and what I answer about our football team.”
According to the Associated Press, the NFL is not investigating Mike Vrabel’s behavior regarding the photos as part of the league’s personal conduct policy.
Vrabel was also asked by reporters about his relationship with Patriots ownership and whether this ongoing story is standing as a distraction.
“We’ll keep those between us,” Vrabel said, per Daniels. “Again, I understand and thank you, guys, for your patience. Just want to focus on the football team and getting off to a good start. Eliot [Wolf]’s staff with Ryan [Cowden] and Alonzo [Highsmith], we’ve all worked very hard, and we’re excited to bring these guys onto our team this week.
“However, we can add them through the draft, the post-draft, so it’s important that those players are celebrated. They’re going to have a lot of excitement on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”
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