Photographs of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini hanging out at an adults-only Arizona resort were shopped around before they were ultimately published by the New York Post earlier this week, sources told Front Office Sports.
TMZ received a tip about the photos of the Patriots head coach and the senior NFL insider for The Athletic, FOS has learned.
An anonymous tipster reached out to the outlet, saying that Vrabel was hanging out with an unidentified woman. When TMZ staffers evaluated the photos, they eventually realized that it was Russini. The anonymous tipster was not from a known paparazzi or photo agency, and requested an unspecified sum in the “four figures.” As TMZ’s newsroom deliberated whether this was a legitimate story or too “bedroom police-y,” the Post’s Page Six vertical ran with it, rendering the debate moot, a source said.
A TMZ spokesperson did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.
Multiple sources told FOS the pics were shopped around before the Post published its story on Tuesday. Page Six’s original post on X/Twitter featuring the pics has drawn more than 9.3 million views as of Thursday evening.
The now-viral photos show Vrabel and Russini sitting next to each other at the resort’s hot tub, as well as holding hands and hugging on the rooftop of a private bungalow. Both Vrabel and Russini are married to other people and have children.
According to a press alert issued by the New York Post, the pictures were snapped on March 28 at the Ambiente Sedona, a toney getaway in Sedona, Ariz., where suites with a rooftop deck run over $2,500 a night.
Despite the awkward appearances, Vrabel, Russini, and The Athletic have dismissed the notion the meetup was inappropriate, calling the photos “innocent” and “misleading” in statements.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini said in a statement to FOS sent via The Athletic. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times, defended his star NFL reporter in a statement: “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
In a separate statement to the New York Post, the reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year called the story “laughable.”
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” the former Pro Bowl linebacker said. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
On Thursday, a New York Post spokeswoman declined comment to FOS on how it obtained the photos, or whether Page Six paid for the pics.
Neither the Patriots nor the NFL responded to FOS’s request for comment this week.
