This week, after weeks of silence surrounding his off-field controversy with Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel finally addressed local media at the New England Patriots facility. But Vrabel’s appearance seemed like a carefully staged affair. It wouldn’t be surprising if this were the team’s crisis management at work, considering earlier reports about owner Robert Kraft attempting to contain the story. But the Patriots have just pushed back against that narrative.

“Neither Robert Kraft nor the New England Patriots have hired any external ‘crisis communications experts,’” said the team’s VP of communications, Stacey James, via Front Office Sports.

The story began on April 7, when the New York Post published photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging at a resort in Arizona. But this week, InTouch reported that Robert Kraft “had his honchos pressure the Post before they published and tried to kill the story,” adding that “a notorious crisis strategist” was involved but unsuccessful.

James didn’t directly address whether Robert Kraft tried to prevent the story from surfacing. But FOS reported that James repeatedly emphasized that neither Kraft nor the Patriots uses “any external PR strategists.”

But even without external help, the Patriots could have attempted to shape narratives internally around their head coach. As per ESPN’s Ben Strauss, Vrabel and Russini even coordinated their responses to the Post, while The Athletic’s ex-senior NFL insider reportedly worked with a “crisis communications expert.”

Shortly after the original Post’s publication, Russini and Vrabel issued statements to address the speculations that they were having an affair. In her statement, Russini claimed that she was on a hiking trip with friends when she met Vrabel. But no evidence of Russini’s friend group ever emerged. Then, on April 14, Russini resigned from her position at The Athletic.

Meanwhile, the Patriots’ head coach had made the story sound like a joke in his statement to the Post:

“These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.” 

But even though Vrabel’s photos with Russini may not have been explicit, they were suggestive enough to make NFL offseason headlines. So, this week, after the Patriots’ minicamp kicked off, it seemed like their communications team had to step in to help their head coach. 

Why did Mike Vrabel’s interaction with the media appear staged?

On April 21, the Patriots initially told the media crowd that only two of their players would be available for interview, which left fewer reporters in attendance. But with just five minutes’ notice, the Patriots then swapped in Mike Vrabel instead of the players. This switcheroo ensured that Vrabel addressed the situation without facing an overwhelming media presence.

“The approach ensured that the press room wouldn’t be swarmed by reporters who don’t regularly cover the team—reporters who would have no qualms about attempting to pepper Vrabel with questions after he made a statement that lasted a little longer than two minutes,” ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio suggested after the presser.

During the presser, Mike Vrabel then struck a careful tone while addressing the elephant in the room. Vrabel sounded reflective, even remorseful, but stopped short of apologizing. He didn’t admit to any wrongdoing, avoided discussing his relationship with Russini, and didn’t even mention her by name. Vrabel framed the issue as a private matter that led to “difficult conversations” with his family.

Furthermore, the Patriots arranged a follow-up “side session” with the coach, during which reporters were asked to stick strictly to football-related questions and turn off their cameras. Not everyone complied, but the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin called it a “last-minute sneak attack” on the media.

“Though appearing transparent, the Patriots did their best to dictate the terms of Vrabel’s appearance. It cuts against Vrabel’s message of accountability,” Volin reported after the presser.

Moreover, whether the Patriots have used outside PR help is not known, but they may not need it. The Patriots have navigated major controversies before, from Deflategate to Spygate and the Aaron Hernandez case. Even Robert Kraft faced legal issues in the past, though the charges against him were later dropped. So, when it comes to crisis management, the Patriots have practically mastered it, and Vrabel could certainly use some of that.