Mike Vrabel has broken his silence on the controversial photos taken of him and former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort last month.
According to CBS News, the New England Patriots coach in a brief statement on Tuesday, April 22, called the photos a “personal and private matter” and said he has “had some difficult conversations with people
He told reporters at Gillette Stadium, "I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive.”
"We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field you have to make good decisions. That includes me, that starts we me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction," he added.
He apologized for not addressing the situation earlier, but added that he wanted to speak to the team first.
The Patriots reported to Gillette Stadium on Monday for the first day of voluntary organized team activities.
Two weeks ago, on April 7, the New York Post published pictures of Vrabel and Russini together at the Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Arizona on Saturday, March 28. They showed the two holding hands, embracing and sitting in a pool and a hot tub.
Both Vrabel and Russini are married to other people. They each released statements to the newspaper downplaying the photos.
