Mike Vrabel isn't interested in the noise.
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Photos of the New England Patriots coach with NFL reporter Dianna Russini made the rounds this week, showing the two holding hands and hugging at a resort in Arizona, via Page Six. That was enough to send social media into overdrive.
Vrabel shut it down quickly.
"These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable," Vrabel told the outlet. "This doesn't deserve any further response."
Direct. To the point. Russini said the same thing, just with more context.
She noted the photos don't show the full picture, adding that they were part of a larger group of six people spending time together. She also pointed out that interactions between reporters and sources outside of team settings aren't unusual.
"The photos don't represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day," she said. "Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues."
That hasn't stopped the speculation, because once something like this hits the internet, it moves fast. The visuals get picked apart. The assumptions follow.
And it becomes its own story. In this case, both sides are pushing back hard.
No drama. No controversy. Nothing beyond what they're saying was a normal interaction.
Still, the attention is there, and the photos more or less speak for themselves, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote.
And even with clear responses, stories like this don't always fade right away.
Either way, though, Vrabel's stance is simple: There's nothing to see here.
