Mike Vrabel is emerging from the Dianna Russini controversy without any punishment from either the NFL or the New England Patriots.
According to ESPN, the NFL has decided not to investigate Vrabel under its personal conduct policy. League spokesperson Brian McCarthy said the NFL is not reviewing the Patriots coach’s behavior despite the photos that sparked weeks of headlines.
The league’s policy requires coaches, players, and executives to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League,” but officials have concluded that Vrabel’s situation does not rise to that level.
The fallout from the scandal has already cost two women their jobs. Russini resigned after the publication opened an internal investigation into whether her relationship with Vrabel created a conflict of interest in her reporting.
Froyd, meanwhile, was fired by USA TODAY after publicly attacking Russini and claiming the reporter had damaged the credibility of women in sports media.
The controversy began when Page Six published photos showing Vrabel and Russini together at Ambiente Sedona, a luxury resort in Arizona. The images showed the pair holding hands, hugging, sitting together in a hot tub, and spending time on the rooftop of a private bungalow.
Witnesses told the outlet that they appeared to be alone for much of the day, though both insisted they had been with a larger group.
Vrabel rejected any suggestion that the photos showed anything improper. “These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” he said in a statement.
Russini offered a similar explanation, saying, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Even so, the professional consequences fell almost entirely on Russini. The New York Times first defended her, with executive editor Steven Ginsberg calling the images “misleading” and lacking “essential context.”
Russini ultimately resigned before that review could be completed. In her resignation letter, she said the story had turned into a “media frenzy” fueled by leaks and speculation.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now,” she wrote. “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.”
The story then widened when Froyd publicly celebrated Russini’s departure. Froyd accused Russini of hurting “women in sports who have done things the right way” and later doubled down on her remarks, saying she regretted nothing.
