Mike Vrabel issues statement on Dianna Russini controversy

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel issued a longer public statement about the controversy regarding his relationship with NFL reporter Dianna Russini after controversial pictures of the two of them were made public.

Vrabel’s first public comments about the situation were vague. He said he had “difficult conversations” with those close to him, including his family, about what he called a “personal and private matter.” He simply said he had not intended to be a distraction to the team, and that the organization would get “the best version of me going forward.”

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said. “We believe, in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never wanted to be the cause of distractions.

“I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus. What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, the fans will get the best version of me going forward. That’s what I know, and I’m excited to do that.”