Mike Vrabel Using 2 and Half Minutes to Tip-Toe Around Dianna Russini Controversy Irks Fans – “He Guilty As Hell”

Mike Vrabel will not be facing an NFL investigation as he has been cleared from violating the league's ethics laws.

Mike Vrabel Using 2 and Half Minutes to Tip-Toe Around Dianna Russini Controversy Irks Fans – “He Guilty As Hell”

Mike Vrabel addressed the media (Image via Jon Root/X)

In Short
  • Mike Vrabel did not address Dianna Russini's resignation or the allegations during his press conference.
  • Fans criticized his diplomatic responses, interpreting them as signs of guilt.
  • The New England Patriots' PR team appears to have heavily influenced Vrabel's prepared statements.

After Dianna Russini quit her job as the lead NFL Insider for The Athletic, many questioned whether New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel would face some sort of reprimand.

Their theory was that neither of them managed to provide contradicting proof after Page Six released photographs of them ‘holding hands,’ ‘hugging,’ and spending time alone at the pool.

Despite the publication and its parent company, The New York Post, giving them time to do so, neither of them was able to give any clarification.

Moreover, fans and analysts also scoffed at Russini’s resignation, believing that it proved she and Vrabel did have an inappropriate relationship. Now, it was the latter’s turn to speak with the media.

I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me.

Mike Vrabel said to reporters

Vrabel also revealed that he has fielded questions and answered them for the organization and his players. However, Mike Vrabel reiterated that he was not going to detail what those conversations were.

Fans fume at Mike Vrabel for diplomatic press conference

In the two and a half minutes Mike Vrabel spoke, fans noticed two anomalies. On one hand, he did not address Dianna Russini or her resignation.

On the other hand, the 50-year-old never actually addressed the allegations, neither agreeing nor denying them. Fans felt that this was tip-toeing around the actual reason he has been in the news.

The fact that he chose to do neither screams guilt. But since he is helped by an army of PR personnel, he preferred to say what he could. Check out examples of those reactions below.

The New England Patriots have done a good job shielding Mike Vrabel from the media for so long. But with the Draft around the corner, it seems they had no choice but to ask him to address the controversy.

But many felt that this was a waste of time, and that Dianna Russini is the only one who has paid the price for their joint actions.

Mike Vrabel deflects question about Dianna Russini’s resignation

To Mike Vrabel’s credit, those two and a half minutes were not a result of him reading from a prepared statement. However, how he responded to a question about Dianna Russini’s resignation screams preparation.

Dianna Russini interviewing Mike Vrabel
Dianna Russini interviewing Mike Vrabel (Image via FB)

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. 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.

Mike Vrabel replied, as quoted by Mass Live’s Mark Daniels

It seems the Patriots’ PR team, along with the collective army of legal counsel from both the franchise and that from his personal team, were hard at work to prepare the three-time Super Bowl championship-winning linebacker.

By deflecting a question about the sole person who has ended up losing more than he did, it is unlikely that fans and analysts will hold him with the same respect he garnered in the past.

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