New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly intervened to stop it New York Post By publishing photos of head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Diana Russini at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona, according to multiple sources.

New York PostPage Six published the photos and a related story on April 7. The images, taken two weekends ago, showed Vrabel and Russini – both married – holding hands, embracing and relaxing together at the ambient adults-only resort.

A source told weekly in touch That Kraft “intervened at The Post and put pressure on his superiors to try and kill the story before it was published.”

Why Robert Kraft Tried to Kill the Vrabel-Russini Scandal Story – and Failed

The source said the Post gave Vrabel more time than usual in the industry to respond and that Kraft used that extra time “to put pressure on the reporter and the newspaper.”

A crisis strategist was involved in the effort but failed to debunk the story.

Both Vrabel and Russini have said that the interaction was innocent and part of a larger group outing.

“The photos do not represent a group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini told the Post. “Like most NFL reporters, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other locations.”

Vrabel described the photos as “completely innocent conversation and any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous.”

No one is really laughing at this point. At the very least, they knew how the images might have been obtained. If the conversation was harmless, why did the NFL owner make every effort to keep the images a secret? And Kraft wasn’t the only one who went into crisis mode.

According to an ESPN report, Russini, Vrabel and officials athletic Contacted a crisis communications expert hours before the story ran. They hoped to provide evidence that would either change the tone of the article or prevent it from being published altogether. Those efforts also did not succeed.

NFL reporter Diana Russini has resigned from The Athletic less than a week after an investigation into photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona hotel, a spokesperson for The New York Times has confirmed. https://t.co/PC5IlXypmN

– NBC News (@NBCNews) 14 April 2026

The incident has attracted significant attention across the sports media landscape, raising questions about the boundaries between coaches and the journalists covering them, as well as whether team owners attempt to influence media coverage.

Kraft, who has owned the Patriots since 1994 and led the franchise during two decades of dominance under former coach Bill Belichick, has not commented publicly on the matter.

As of Monday, Vrabel remains the head coach of the Patriots. The team has not released any statement on the alleged interference by ownership. In contrast, Rasini was forced to resign. athletic.

Rusty Weis is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys and Xavier Musketeers. He has been writing professionally… More about Rusty Weiss

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered their fourth consecutive loss with a road loss at the hands of the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the Timberwolves led at halftime and controlled things well in the third quarter, things quickly fell apart from there, as Anthony Edwards struggled during a relatively quiet scoring night.

It was a particularly brutal game for Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert, who scored just two points and grabbed seven rebounds, finishing the night with a -23 in the box score.

Needless to say, fans on X, formerly Twitter, were having a blast at the much-maligned big man’s expense.

“gobert The most hilarious player on offense, straight up idol,” one fan wrote.

“Rudy gobert Not good offensively, he’s all over the place,” added another.

However, other users came to Gobert’s defense amid the harsh performance.

“I find it ridiculous how much Wolves fans hate gobert And want to kick him out of their team but that’s why they struggle every year. Without him they have zero security,” one fan said.

In fact, Gobert is a double-edged sword for Minnesota at times, as he is the obvious anchor of their defensive unit and consistently makes up for other players’ shortcomings on that end of the field, but generally offers nothing from an offensive skills perspective.

Some of Gobert’s notable mistakes over the years, as well as his frequent bullying from former players like Shaquille O’Neal, have made him an easy target for internet trolls looking to increase social media engagement.

However, there is certainly some validity to the notion that Gobert’s lack of offensive skills could present a major challenge for the Timberwolves, especially against elite teams like Oklahoma City.

The noise in Brazil over Nottingham Forest’s sudden break with Edu Gaspar continues, and fresh details suggest the situation surrounding the former Arsenal executive has been developing for some time before it became public.

according to espn brazil According to journalist Pedro Ivo Almeida, negotiations were already taking place behind the scenes on Edu’s exit from Marinakis Football Group. The process ultimately spilled over into the news cycle this week, with reports that he was barred from entering the club’s training centre.

Almeida said people close to Adu were surprised by how publicly the story unfolded.

“He was surprised yesterday when he saw reports that he had been banned from the training centre.” The journalist said. “But people close to him say this had been happening for a few days.”

Situation inside the Marinakis Group

Edu was working as a senior football figure within Evangelos Marinakis’ multi-club structure, which includes Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave. However, the relationships inside that structure appear to be complex.

According to Almeida, the decision to part ways came after internal discussions between Edu and the Greek owner.

“He talked to people from the Marinakis side and thought it was the right time to break that relationship,” the ESPN reporter said.

Part of the tension reportedly arose from the balance of power within the group. Edu is known to prefer strong autonomy when running the football department, while Marinakis is a highly active owner.

“He’s a person with personality,” Almeida explained. “He likes the freedom he has to run the department. Marinakis is someone who is very visible in the process.”

After about a year in the structure, results did not come as expected and pressure on the position increased. Edu then began negotiating the terms of his exit.

That process is not simple. According to the report, the separation involves several entities inside the Marinakis group, including Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave, meaning the final paperwork could take time.

Furthermore, to make matters worse, ESPN says it is under pressure to resign itself, so Marinakis will not have to get paid what he is owed. And this had happened before also.

Spaniard Antonio Cordon and Portuguese Pedro Alves are also sidelined by Marinakis under contract between 2022 and 2024. In the latter case, the dispute is pending in court.

Alves resigned from Olympiacos and shortly thereafter filed a claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to receive the full amount of his expired contract.

The market situation is still unclear

Despite noises about Flamengo’s interest, Edu’s move after Nottingham Forest remains uncertain.

Almeida says there is no guarantee the former Arsenal sporting director is ready to return to Brazil at this stage of his career. Although options are available, the 47-year-old still sees opportunities in Europe.

“People around Edu have no certainty that he wants to return to Brazil right now,” The journalist said.

Family relationships may eventually hold him back. However, Edu also knows that his experience at Arsenal and in the European market keeps his profile attractive to clubs across the continent.

“He understands there is still a market for him in Europe,” Almeida added.

As a result, any decision regarding his future may depend on what opportunities first arise in the coming months.

Flamengo’s interest and relationship with the president

One of the clubs currently assessing the situation is Flamengo, As we covered earlier. However, the Brazilian side’s interest did not start this week.

According to Almeida, Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista (known as ‘Bap’) met Edu in person during the Intercontinental Cup in Doha late last year.

“Father met Edu personally in Doha late last year,” The journalist explained. “They had dinner there.”

The meeting was not a formal conversation, but it helped establish rapport and open the door for future discussions.

“”It was a conversation about ideas, about football, about what each person thinks,” Almeida said.

Edu’s name had already been circulated internally at Flamengo before the club eventually appointed José Boto as director of football. Now, with the situation at Nottingham Forest becoming public, Baptista has started to explore the possibility again.

Nevertheless, ESPN Brazil insists that no immediate agreement is imminent.

“This does not mean that Flamengo are close to signing Edu,” Almeida said. “His name was suggested and it is one of the names on the table.”

Time can also complicate matters. Edu’s contractual separation from the Marinakis structure may take time. Flamengo will therefore have to decide if they are willing to wait while they evaluate the future of current director Jose Boto.

For Nottingham Forest observers, the story suggests Edu’s exit may not mean a long-term break from football – but his next destination is still undecided.