Patriots Say 'Business As Usual' For Vrabel Following Russini Photos But His Credibility Will Suffer
Nothing has apparently changed at work for Mike Vrabel since the soap opera involving him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini began with those Page Six photos of the two together last week.Russini has been sidelined while her employers at The Athletic investigate what is true about those pictures that show her and the New England Patriots coach together poolside, and in a spa tub, and in an embrace on the roof of a private bungalow in Sedona days before the NFL Annual Meetings.So, Russini's credibility is being questioned by her own employer while her reputation has taken a hit nationally.Vrabel? He's spent the last week fully immersed in the New England Patriots' preparations ahead of the April 23-25 NFL draft. "Business as usual," Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told reporters on Monday.Involved as ever in draft and evaluation meetings."Very involved," Wolf added. "…He's been in there. He's been contributing. He's watched a ton of the players. I think he tries to watch every player that we give to each position coach. He watches that whole – they call it the coaches list. "So, he has an opinion on these guys, and it's helpful, because sometimes there are players that the scouts like, me included, and he'll be like, 'Well, this is the reason that maybe this guy's not the best fit for us.' So, we can, again, continue to compile all the information together."And there you have it.Russini and Vrabel are seen holding hands at an expensive adult's resort and her job is obviously now in jeopardy.Vrabel, meanwhile, goes forward "business as usual."There is no reporting on whether Vrabel has had to explain the curious photos to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. There would be some irony if that conversation ever happened.Truth is, there is little reporting about the Vrabel side of this, other than the fact he released a statement about the photos and there was some erroneous jumping to conclusions about why he wasn't at Monday's press conference.(The truth on pressergate is Vrabel was never scheduled to be part of that pre-draft meeting with reporters when it was originally scheduled before the Page Six photos were released).But whatever has already happened in-house with the Patriots, we're on solid footing that Vrabel isn't having to fight for his job. There isn't an internal Patriots investigation into the Vrabel-Russini photos to mirror the one at The Athletic.And this is where someone might argue Vrabel doesn't have to answer questions to the heights Russini is because he doesn't have to rely on credibility with an audience to do his job like she does.The problem is that's not correct.Vrabel, you see, also deals in the currency of credibility. And his audience is just as important to his success as readership is to Russini.Vrabel's audience is the rest of the league and his locker room.And as we go through to the end of this saga, it says here Vrabel is going to find himself losing some credibility with that locker room and around the league because he has lost the moral high ground.NFL people now know that, at minimum, Vrabel is an anonymous source for Russini.So, the next NFL person who has a private conversation with the coach about, well, anything remotely interesting or important now understands their thoughts, opinions and information might get leaked to Russini. That's actually the least of Vrabel's credibility issues, because a coach has to have the trust of the locker room. And Vrabel's trustworthiness there may also take a hit.At the NFL annual meeting, days after spending private time with Russini, Vrabel addressed how Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson got attention on social media by siding with NBA player Jaden Ivey after he was released by the Chicago Bulls. Ivey was apparently released because he agrees with the Biblical view of marriage and relationships and not with the LGBTQ agenda the Bulls support.Henderson quoted Scripture about being persecuted for defending righteousness as his support of Ivey. Vrabel then offered a lukewarm defense of Henderson's right to his opinion."I want to make sure that they're educated," Vrabel said of players that share their personal opinions. "We want to be inclusive. Everything we want to do wants to provide an environment for people to feel comfortable. "But also to share their personal beliefs and, also, we represent the team, and we represent the organization."That was Vrabel, fresh off spending a day with a woman not his wife, publicly admonishing a player quoting the Bible about representing the Patriots in the right way. Only a fool would believe players — Vrabel's audience — won't notice the hypocrisy.
