FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that he's had “difficult conversations with people I care about," including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players, following the publication of photos of the coach and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort.
"Those (conversations) have been positive and productive. In order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” Vrabel said, making an unscheduled statement from the podium at the team's facility on the second day of its offseason workout program.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, displayed on a mobile phone, speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
The photos were of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos earlier this month.
A Patriots spokesman said there are no plans for other team officials to address the issue further.
The NFL, meanwhile, said last weekend that it is not investigating Vrabel’s behavior. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the league is not looking into the matter.
Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week later, after the Post's report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.
Vrabel said he addressed players about the matter on Monday after they arrived for the start of the voluntary workout program. Two Patriots players were scheduled to be made available to reporters on Tuesday, but Vrabel said he wanted to speak before they did. He also said he didn't want the interest in the Post photos to take attention away from the NFL draft, which begins Thursday.
Vrabel said any conversations he's had with team officials would stay private.
“We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction,” he said. “There are comments and questions that I’ve answered with the team and will keep those private to ourselves."
Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including “SportsCenter” anchor, NFL analyst and insider. She hosted a podcast for The Athletic and made appearances on their video platform.
Until his appearance Tuesday, Vrabel hadn't spoken in a news conference setting with reporters since the owners' meetings.
Last year, before his first season as Patriots coach, he addressed reporters as part of the lead-up to the NFL draft. He opted not to do that last week, with only Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf speaking at that news conference on April 13.
“Very involved. Business as usual,” Wolf said when asked how much Vrabel had been involved with the team’s draft process. “I’d say he’s been in there with us this round probably a little more than he was in there last year. ... He’s been in there. He’s been contributing. He’s watched a ton of the players.”
Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots. He led the team to a 14-3 finish last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to Seattle.
Vrabel said his focus going forward is football.
“I care deeply about this football team and excited to coach them. I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus,” he said. "What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, coaches and our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward. That’s what I know and I’m excited to do that.”
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, displayed on a mobile phone, speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Buoyed by the election of a new leader in Hungary, Europe's top diplomats are meeting in Luxembourg to forge plans of action on multiple crises from the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian hybrid attacks, and economic instability as the war in Iran drives up energy prices worldwide.
But it is the European Union's policy toward Israel — and how to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as security deteriorates in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as in Lebanon — that is dividing EU members, stymieing strong action, and frustrating many in the 27-nation bloc.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said there was no clear political agreement in Luxembourg to ramp up pressure on Israel.
“We didn’t see that today, but these discussions will continue,” she said.
One of the loudest voices within the EU blocking sharper pressure on Israel is shortly leaving office — Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán routinely obstructed EU action on issues ranging from support for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion to sanctions on Israelis accused of violent extremism.
Kallas said that Orbán’s defeat by pro-European opposition leader Péter Magyar in Hungary’s recent election could accelerate action.
“A lot of issues ... have been blocked” by Hungary, she said. “We are reopening the discussions and hope that we get a positive result.”
The EU has an Association Agreement, signed in 2000, that regulates trade and cooperation with Israel. Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have proposed completely suspending it, a move that doesn't have the required unanimous support among EU nations.
However, a partial suspension targeting just the trade aspects could have enough political support, said Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares.
“The European Union has to say today very clearly to Israel that a change is needed,” he said.
The EU has found indications Israel had violated the agreement with the bloc in its military campaign in Gaza.
“The attacks on the values that underpin that agreement are now too serious to ignore,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, adding that Belgium would support at least a partial suspension of the deal.
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Israel's recent adoption of the death penalty for some Palestinians, and ongoing fighting in Lebanon should push EU nations to ramp up pressure on Israel.
“We need to act. We need to make sure that our fundamental values are protected,” McEntee said.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said France and Sweden have brought forward a plan to curtail trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Amnesty International condemned EU's lack of action to pressure Israel over its actions. Erika Guevara-Rosas, a director for the human rights organization, said “each delay only further entrenches impunity and paves the way for further grave human rights violations” by Israel.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam spoke at the meeting in Luxembourg about the fragile ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, difficulties in disarming the Hezbollah militant group, and the need for EU assistance for the war-torn nation.
“Lebanon today needs its European partners more than ever,” Salam posted on X on Tuesday.
While now mainly headquartered in Brussels, EU institutions are also spread out in northern Europe like the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany and the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Lawmakers, diplomats and officials regularly move between the cities for meetings.
The Luxembourg meeting comes a day after 60 nations sent representatives to a Palestinian peace conference in Brussels with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa and Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov, who heads the Board of Peace set up by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The EU diplomats gathered in Luxembourg called for diplomacy on Iran as a ceasefire struck between Tehran and Washington that began April 8 was to expire Wednesday.
Kallas, the foreign policy chief, warned that if the fighting resumes, "it will come at a very large cost for all.”
She also announced that EU foreign ministers agreed Tuesday on new sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
“Freedom of navigation is non-negotiable. Daily U-turns where the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed, are reckless. Transit through the strait must remain free of charge,” Kallas said.
She did not elaborate on the sanctions or name the targeted officials.
Germany’s foreign minister called on Iran to send negotiators to Islamabad to meet with U.S. negotiators.
“Iran should now take this outstretched hand in the interest of its own people,” Johann Wadephul said.
The war in Iran has throttled global oil and gas markets and rattled the EU as a major importer of energy.
Also Tuesday, EU transportation ministers discussed in a video conference how to protect consumers at home and at the pump after the head of the International Energy Agency warned that Europe has “ maybe six weeks ” supply left of jet fuel.
Since the latest war in the Middle East started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.
McNeil reported from Brussels.
A man holds the flag of Luxembourg and a placard as he demonstrates outside a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
