Mike Vrabel admitted “difficult conversations with people I care about” were necessary to address photos published of the Patriots head coach and a former Athletic reporter.

Vrabel’s comments to reporters Tuesday come approximately two weeks after the New York Post published pictures of Vrabel and journalist Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging at an adults-only hotel in Sedona, Ariz. The league held its annual meetings in Phoenix from March 29-April 1.

Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, are both married. Vrabel initially told the Post that the photos were a “completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”

Vrabel took a much more serious and accountable tone on Tuesday.

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said. “You know, 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. You never want to be the cause of a distraction. And when I — those are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team, with the team, we’ll keep those private and to ourselves.

“I care deeply about this football team, and I’m excited to coach them. I also know that I’m gonna attack each day with humility and focus. And what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward. That’s what I know, and I’m excited to do that. But I wanted to go and just address this, and thank you for your patience in dealing with the private and personal matter.”

Several follow-up questions by reporters essentially were dismissed by Vrabel, who said he would keep private the conversations he had with the team’s brass.

Russini resigned from the Athletic, where she was lead NFL reporter, last Tuesday amid an internal investigation into the nature of her relationship with Vrabel.

Vrabel took over as head coach of the Patriots — the team for which he played — before the 2025 season and led New England to the Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13.

–Field Level Media