After weeks of saying nothing about the situation involving Dianna Russini, former reporter at The Athletic, Mike Vrabel finally stepped in front of reporters at the New England Patriots facility on Tuesday. But the moment didn’t land as a spontaneous one. To many watching, the head coach’s remarks felt measured and tightly controlled, more like a carefully orchestrated response than an off-the-cuff address.

Earlier reports insinuated that franchise owner Robert Kraft had been trying to keep the situation under control. So, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to assume this was all part of the Patriots’ crisis playbook, but that narrative just took a hit. The organization has now pushed back against that idea.

“Neither Robert Kraft nor the New England Patriots have hired any external ‘crisis communications experts,’” team spokesperson Stacey James told Front Office Sports. 

James also told FOS that the franchise neither employed an external crisis strategist nor any PR strategist. It is important to note that the spokesperson had earlier sidestepped questions tied to a weekend report from InTouch Weekly, which claimed that Kraft had directed members of the organization to pressure the New York Post ahead of publication in an effort to “kill the story”. The same report also alleged that a well-known crisis strategist got involved but ultimately failed.

However, according to a report from ESPN last week, Vrabel and Russini aligned their responses to the New York Post story, with Russini, at least, receiving guidance from what the outlet described as a crisis communications expert.

As Mike Paul, who is also known as ‘The Reputation Doctor’, points out, bringing in an outside crisis firm isn’t always the go-to move when trouble hits. In many cases, organizations lean on their legal teams instead, even if those high-end, white-shoe firms don’t necessarily specialize in the nuances of crisis management.

At the podium on Tuesday, Vrabel struck a measured, somewhat remorseful tone, even going out of his way to be courteous to reporters. But beyond that, there was no apology, no admission of wrongdoing, and no discussion of his connection to Dianna Russini. In fact, he never mentioned the former The Athletic insider by name at all. And that is why Paul believes Vrabel’s statement was scripted.

Here’s what happened: the story began on April 7, when the New York Post published photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona. Shortly after, Russini and Vrabel issued statements to address the speculations regarding their connection.

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 also shared 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 brought up questions about journalistic integrity and ethics. For Vrabel, it took away attention from his team and the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. 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. At least, that’s what ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio believed.

“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,” he wrote.

During the presser, Vrabel then struck a careful tone while addressing the elephant in the room and framed the issue as a private matter that led to conversations with his family.

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” Vrabel said, as a part of his statement. “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. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction.”

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. After all, 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, they know how to manage a crisis.