NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy came to the defense of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and New York Times/The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
Photos originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six showed the coach and reporter holding hands, hugging and sitting in a pool in swimsuits at a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona. While many people have been very critical of Vrabel and Russini, McCoy had no problem with it.
“I like Mike, I love Mike. I go about my business. They work together,” McCoy told TMZ Sports.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeSean McCoy runs with the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 2021. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
“Everyone does something great with everything. He’s a great coach, he’s a great player. He was just in the Super Bowl, they had something to talk about. That’s what happened.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Both Vrabel and Russini are married and both denied any wrongdoing. Vrabel married his wife, Jen, in 1999 and they have two children together. The 50-year-old coach said the interaction was completely innocent.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous,” Vrabel told the New York Post. “This deserves no further response.”
EMMITT SMITH GIVES ADVICE TO A HOPEFUL NFL SON WHO ONCE ADMITTED TO FEELING PRESSURE TO STAY LIVE UP TO THE FAMILY NAME
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches during the first half of the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Russini, who married her husband Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 and have two children together, said the photos misrepresented what really happened.
“The photos do not represent the group of six people who were together during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources outside of stadiums and other locations,” Russini told the New York Post.
Vrabel led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as Patriots head coach and won the NFL Coach of the Year award for the second time in his career.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California on February 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Russini, 43, joined The Athletic in 2023, leaving ESPN after more than eight years.
McCoy played 12 seasons in the NFL. He spent six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, one with the Kansas City Chiefs and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 37-year-old won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019 and the Buccaneers in 2020. In 170 games, McCoy ran for 11,102 yards with 73 touchdowns, while catching 518 passes for 3,898 yards and 16 touchdowns.
