The publication by the New York Post of photos showing Patriots coach Mike Vrabel with former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini always carried the subtle implication that there could be more.
There now are.
The Post has produced images that purport to show Vrabel and Russini having breakfast at the same adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona at which the initial photos were taken.
The new images don’t carry nearly the same weight as the first wave. Coupled with reporting from the Post, the pictures show the two having breakfast on the morning of Saturday, March 28.
The photos show no others, which tends to further undercut Russini’s claim she and Vrabel were present with a larger group.
The Post also reports, citing multiple unnamed eyewitnesses, that Vrabel and Russini dined alone. The Post further reports, citing unnamed sources close to Russini, that they were joined “by a group of friends.”
Still, the Post reports that Vrabel and Russini “appeared to be trying to go incognito by walking to various places in the resort separately throughout the day, following their breakfast.”
“One of them would go ahead and then the other would wait for a few seconds or so, and then they would follow a few steps ahead,” an unnamed source told the Post, adding it appeared “they really didn’t want to be seen walking together.”
Despite the initial denials provided by Vrabel and Russini to the photos published 15 days ago, Vrabel’s Tuesday statement to reporters made clear that it was not a proverbial nothing burger.
And it’s possible the photos released to date don’t end the issue. There could be more pictures.
Also, most hotels have a network of surveillance cameras. A disgruntled and/or enterprising employee could burn video evidence onto a thumb drive and sell it to the Post or to TMZ.
That’s what happened with the Ray Rice case in 2014. And the videos sold at the time to TMZ turned the entire NFL on its head.
