ESPN had largely ignored the Mike Vrabel situation, for most of the 16 days since it emerged. By Thursday, it had become something no one could ignore.
It wasn’t ignored when ESPN draft host Mike Greenberg interviewed Commissioner Roger Goodell before the start of the first round of the draft.
“This is not a Personal Conduct Policy [situation], as we know of today,” Goodell said. “It’s a personal matter, and we’ll leave it at that.”
“Is that the kind of thing that typically you would talk with the team about if the Patriots seem to be handling that?” Greenberg asked.
“The teams handle these matters when they’re matters when their personal matters, and they handle it,” Goodell said. “They have a lot more information that can benefit everyone involved.”
Goodell left the door open by adding the words “as we know of today.” Further evidence (and plenty has been emerging) could change what the league knows in the future.
The NFL has previously said it’s not reviewing the situation under the Personal Conduct Policy. The policy contains a catch-all provision prohibiting “[c]onduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL personnel.” That’s obviously very broad.
Again, there could be more evidence. At some point, Dianna Russini (formerly of ESPN and The Athletic) could decide to tell her story. Depending on the story she tells, it could prompt the league to take a closer look at the situation.
That seems unlikely, for now. She has issued multiple denials of anything improper, both in response to the initial batch of photos published by the New York Post and in her resignation letter from The Athletic. More recently, she has deleted her Twitter account.
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