Vrabel & Russini

RiverDog

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It takes two, but it sure seems like she's getting a lot more wrath than Vrabel is.
Men who have had extramarital affairs haven't been vilified to nearly the same degree that women have.

But in this case, with Russini's position as "an NFL insider" and where she stands to benefit from getting exclusive information from a COTY coach, she probably deserves a little more flack. She had a financial incentive whereas Vrabel did not.

If it turns out that money was one of the primary motivators for Russini to engage in this affair, what does that make her?
 
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chrispy

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Obviously I don't know any more than anyone else, but this could end up costing Vrabel a lot in a divorce. That could be why he's being silent: trying to save a marriage or trying to minimize "pain and suffering" of spouse that will be looking for her pound of flesh as she exits the marriage. May take years to play out and be a distraction the entire time.

AFC is wide open in '26.
 

SoulfishHawk

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Men who have had extramarital affairs haven't been vilified to nearly the same degree that women have.

But in this case, with Russini's position as "an NFL insider" and where she stands to benefit from getting exclusive information from a COTY coach, she probably deserves a little more flack. She had a financial incentive whereas Vrabel did not.

If it turns out that money was one of the primary motivators for Russini to engage in this affair, what does that make her?
Good points. I think they both suck in this case.
 

RiverDog

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Good points. I think they both suck in this case.
Agreed. It damages Vrabel's credibility when it comes to having to counsel his players on things like the league's Personal Conduct Policy. But then again, his boss was caught up in a sting at a rub-and-tug joint a few years back, so it would be a bit hypocritical for the team to take any kind of action against Vrabel, sort of a do as I say, not as I do proposition.

As far as Russini's part is concerned, as an NFL Insider, she was tasked with covering Vrabel and the Pats for The Athletic, so her involvement, if not illegal, is extremely unethical for a media outlet to condone such behavior in pursuit of a story. She very well may have quit rather than be fired over this incident, and it could hamper her in finding work within the field. She might end up looking for another career. Perhaps Bob Kraft could give her a few leads.
 
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Cyrus12

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Apparently the photos came from her husband's hired PI. He knew she was dirty..literally...Hopefully Vrabels wife has the common sense to hire a good lawyer and take as much as she can. Then again as a patriot he might murder her before that happens...Kraft will cover it up...
 

RiverDog

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Apparently the photos came from her husband's hired PI. He knew she was dirty..literally...Hopefully Vrabels wife has the common sense to hire a good lawyer and take as much as she can. Then again as a patriot he might murder her before that happens...Kraft will cover it up...
That hasn't been confirmed yet, but it's very likely as apparently the photos were professional quality and not taken by some random cell phone.
 

AnimeAmore

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I don't understand why adults can't behave. The older I get the more I realize that adults are worse than kids.
As for Russini getting in more trouble, it's because of her position. The situation is bad for both of them professionally, but only Russini violated key facets of her job.
Vrabel will keep his job, but someone will let him know that if a cat has 9 lives, he's already used up 8 with this fiasco. Any further embarrassment will get him fired, and so will bad football. He has no wiggle room going forward.
 

RiverDog

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I don't understand why adults can't behave. The older I get the more I realize that adults are worse than kids.
As for Russini getting in more trouble, it's because of her position. The situation is bad for both of them professionally, but only Russini violated key facets of her job.
Vrabel will keep his job, but someone will let him know that if a cat has 9 lives, he's already used up 8 with this fiasco. Any further embarrassment will get him fired, and so will bad football. He has no wiggle room going forward.
Agreed. Although I think that there could be some sexism in some people's minds that makes it a worse look for Russini than Vrabel, there's a big difference in their lines of employment. What Russini did was highly unethical and likely against her company's policies regarding conflicts of interest and investigative practices.

IMO Russini quit at least in part because she knew she'd get fired if she didn't. The Athletic is owned by the New York Times, which is one of the largest and most influential news organizations in the world, and they're not going to risk their reputation by allowing one of their 1700 journalists employed by them to engage in highly unethical practices such as she's done.
 
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James in PA

James in PA

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Mike Vrabel finally issues statement on photos with reporter Dianna Russini:​

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about."​

"We'll keep those private and to ourselves."​


Lame. Nice "I apologize, but I still still admit to nothing" statement.

PR 101 BS.

 

RiverDog

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Mike Vrabel finally issues statement on photos with reporter Dianna Russini:​

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about."​

"We'll keep those private and to ourselves."​


Lame. Nice "I apologize, but I still still admit to nothing" statement.

PR 101 BS.

If everything was sweet and innocent as they both initially claimed, he would have said so in his statement. Couple this statement with Russini's abrupt resignation from her job with The Athletic and it's as close to an admission of guilt as one can get without actually saying it.
 

HawkRiderFan

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If everything was sweet and innocent as they both initially claimed, he would have said so in his statement. Couple this statement with Russini's abrupt resignation from her job with The Athletic and it's as close to an admission of guilt as one can get without actually saying it.
Exactly. Why would have to have difficult conversations about a laughable situation? He's not going to lose his job but he's certainly looks foolish in public now.
I wonder who Russini voted for since she had a vote for coach of the year lol
 

RiverDog

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I wonder who Russini voted for since she had a vote for coach of the year lol
I know you said that in jest, but that's exactly why The Athletic suspended and likely would have fired Russini from her job had she not quit. Publications like the NYT pride themselves on objective reporting and analysis regardless of the subject matter, and her having one of 50 votes for the COTY award while engaging in a romantic relationship with an NFL HC is a blatant conflict of interest, ie her personal interest in Vrabel vs her employer's interest in objective reporting.

There's also the potential of Russini obtaining confidential information through her personal relationship with Vrabel that could alter his teams' chances of winning or losing that Russini could choose to either withhold or disclose depending on how it affected the Patriots. The NYT would have been fully within their rights to fire her.

As far as how it affects Vrabel's job, it's quite a bit more subjective as he's not violating any specific team rules. It's more in line with creating a distraction, compromising his credibility with his players and coaches, etc.
 
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