Will Mike Vrabel face NFL discipline after photos with reporter? League answers

• Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic amid the controversy and a subsequent investigation by her employer.
• Vrabel has called the interaction "completely innocent" and is expected to speak with reporters during the NFL draft.

NFL reporter Dianna Russini may be out of a job, but New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is not facing any discipline from the league.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Monday that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league's personal conduct policy.

According to that policy, as it pertains to non-NFL players, "Conduct that is illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others associated with the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL. We must endeavor at all times to be people of high character; we must show respect for others inside and outside our workplace; and we must conduct ourselves in ways that favorably reflect on ourselves, our teams, the communities we represent, and the NFL."

It's been nearly two weeks since pictures showing Vrabel and Russini together at a swanky Arizona resort were published by the New York Post. The photos, published April 7, show them in bathing suits poolside as well as hugging on a rooftop at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, days before the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix. Both Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, are married to other people with whom they have children.

Despite initially have support from The Athletic, until recently her employer, Russini resigned April 14 amid the controversy, submitting a defiant letter of resignation to executive editor Steven Ginsberg. In a letter to the staff of The Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times, Ginsberg said "new questions were raised that became part of our investigation" into Russini after he'd originally supported her and touted her professionalism.

According to multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation, Ginsberg was expected to address The Athletic's NFL staff April 20 regarding Russini. Those people were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

Vrabel coached the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to 2023 before leading the Patriots, the team with which he won three Lombardi Trophies as a linebacker in the 2000s, to a berth in Super Bowl 60 last season. During last week's pre-NFL draft news conference, Pats vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said of Vrabel's role preparing for the draft that he had been, "Very involved. Business as usual. He’s been in there with us a little more than he was last year."

The Patriots have not addressed the matter in any other form. Requests to the team from USA TODAY Sports for further insight have not been answered. Vrabel has not said anything aside from a comment provided to the Post on April 8.

"These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable," Vrabel said at the time.

"This doesn’t deserve any further response."

However, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, Vrabel is expected to speak with reporters once the NFL draft, which starts April 23, is underway. That person was also granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The Patriots are currently scheduled to have the penultimate pick on Thursday night's first round.

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