Vrabel on Athletic's Russini review: "I don't have any reaction. We're moved on"

Mike Vrabel has heard the question, and he is done with the topic. The Patriots head coach was asked Thursday about The Athletic's internal review of former NFL insider Dianna Russini — the report published this morning that found Russini violated the outlet's conflict-of-interest standards through her undisclosed relationship with Vrabel — and declined to engage, per Ari Meirov.

The response was Vrabel's first since the review went public, and it lands a few hours after the report itself. As XFN covered this morning, the review found Russini's relationship with Vrabel was "in clear violation" of The Athletic's standards and should have been disclosed, but found no inaccuracies in her reporting involving Vrabel or his teams and no clear evidence she promoted him — while also noting she waited two days before telling editors after the New York Post confronted her with the Arizona photos, and that her account "did not align with facts."

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio characterized Vrabel's answer as the final word the Patriots are willing to offer on a saga that has followed the coach since the spring.

Vrabel's focus, per his own words, is Seattle and getting better this week: the Patriots open the season against the reigning Super Bowl-champion Seahawks next Wednesday night, a rematch of the Super Bowl Vrabel's team reached in his first season at the helm. For a coach who won three Super Bowls as a Patriots linebacker and returned to lead the franchise, the message Thursday was unambiguous: the story of the offseason stays in the offseason.