Patriots coach Vrabel has had ‘difficult’ conversations after publication of Russini photos
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has said he has had “difficult” conversations after photographs of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were made public earlier this month.Russini resigned from her post at the Athletic after the New York Post published photos of her and Vrabel embracing and holding hands at an Arizona resort.The pair are married to different people and have said their relationship is platonic.Vrabel addressed the subject for the first time publicly on Tuesday.“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” Vrabel told reporters.
“Those have been positive and productive.We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions.That includes me, that starts with me.We never want our actions to negatively affect the team.We never want to be the cause of distraction.
These are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team.We’ll keep those private and to ourselves.”Vrabel led the Patriots to February’s Super Bowl, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks, in his first season with the team.He was named Associated Press coach of the year for his achievements, turning around a team that had finished with a 4-13 record the previous season.The NFL has said it will not investigate Vrabel over the Russini photos.
Its personal conduct policy states that: “Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in’ the NFL”.Vrabel thanked members of the media in his appearance on Tuesday for their patience.“I know that that’s not easy for you, and I respect that, and I appreciate your efforts in doing so,” he said.“I understand I could have addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday, very candidly, as we began our offseason program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.”He added that his focus was on this week’s draft, which starts on Thursday.
“I also don’t want to take away from the draft, the weekend of the draft.This is an important time for us, our organization and the excitement and the joy that those players are going to have that we bring on to our football team,” Vrabel said.“They’re starting an amazing journey, one that should be celebrated as we welcome them on to our team.”Russini announced her resignation on 14 April amid an internal investigation at the Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times.“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini said in a letter sent to the Athletic’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg.
“When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism,For that I am grateful,In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete,It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now – before my current contract expires on June 30.I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Middle East war ‘could wipe out 75% of chancellor’s budget headroom’; UK inflation climbs to 3.3% – as it happened
Oil prices have gone back above $100 a barrel again.Reversing earlier declines, Brent crude is now 2.1% ahead at $100.57 a barrel, after Iran seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway. Overnight, Donald Trump extended the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, until Tehran comes up with a peace proposal
Ryanair to close check-in 20 minutes earlier amid concern over Europe border queues
Ryanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier to avoid passengers missing flights, it has announced, amid concern over border queues in Europe.The budget airline, which carries 200 million passengers annually, will require all passengers dropping bags or checking in at the airport to do so one hour before take-off rather than the current 40-minute deadline.Ryanair said the change, which will take effect from November, would give more time for passengers to clear airport security and passport control and reduce the number who miss flights through being stuck in queues.While the move was not prompted by the introduction of Europe’s entry-exit system (EES), which requires most non-EU citizens to provide biometric data at the border, the airline said the system had been a factor in increasing passport queues.Waits of several hours have been reported at some airports in the phased introduction of EES since October
‘Get back to work’: Amazon faces fresh scrutiny over workplace safety record
Amazon, one of the world’s largest employers, has for years faced scrutiny over its safety record. When Billy Foister, a 48-year-old worker, died after a heart attack inside one of the tech giant’s warehouses in September 2019, managers were accused of telling staff to “get back to work”.When another worker died this month at a distribution center in Troutdale, Oregon, an Amazon spokesperson claimed they had collapsed from an “existing medical issue”. They denied a report that a nearby employee was told: “Please get back to work.”As Donald Trump’s administration continues to overhaul federal government oversight of workplace safety, workers inside Amazon and labor advocates say the company’s injury rates, and how it treats injured workers, remain a problem
Anthropic investigates report of rogue access to hack-enabling Mythos AI
The AI developer Anthropic has confirmed it is investigating a report that unauthorised users have gained access to its Mythos model, which it has warned poses risks to cybersecurity.The US startup made the statement after Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that a small group of people had accessed the model, which has not been released to the public because of its ability to enable cyber-attacks.“We’re investigating a report claiming unauthorised access to Claude Mythos Preview through one of our third-party vendor environments,” said Anthropic.Bloomberg said a “handful” of users in a private online forum gained access to Mythos on the same day Anthropic said it was being released to a small number of companies including Apple and Goldman Sachs for testing purposes.It reported that the unnamed users got to Mythos through access that one of them had as a worker at a third-party contractor for Anthropic and by deploying methods used by cybersecurity researchers
‘For billionaires, not boxers’: De La Hoya warns over Ali Act overhaul in Senate hearing
A US Senate hearing on the future of boxing laid bare a sharp divide over the sport’s direction on Wednesday, as longtime boxing figures including Oscar De La Hoya warned of proposed changes that could erode fighters’ rights while executives aligned with an Ultimate Fighting Championship-backed push for a centralized model argued they would bring structure and investment.“When one system controls access, choice becomes theoretical, not real,” professional boxer Nico Ali Walsh told lawmakers, framing the stakes of a debate that could dramatically reshape boxing’s economic model. “When that happens, you fight who you’re told to fight or you don’t fight at all.”At issue is a House-passed overhaul of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act that would allow the creation of centralized “Unified Boxing Organizations” (UBOs) operating alongside the current fragmented system. Supporters say the approach would simplify matchmaking and attract investment
Lando Norris backs Max Verstappen to stay in F1 after drivers win rule changes
Lando Norris has said he believes Max Verstappen will continue to race in Formula One but that it would be “a miss” for the sport if the four-time world champion did decide to leave owing to his dissatisfaction with the way this season’s new regulations have affected how drivers race.Verstappen has been outspoken in his dislike of the new regulations and their focus on electrical energy management that now makes up almost 50% of the car’s power output. He has intimated he might leave the sport but, with the rules having been adjusted by the FIA in an effort to address concerns of all drivers this week, Norris felt the Dutchman would remain in F1.“Hopefully things get better and I just saw that he said he wants to win the fifth world championship at the minute, so I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say,” Norris said.The McLaren driver, who is the defending world champion, noted, however, that it would very much be F1’s loss if Verstappen left because he was disenchanted
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