Hey, they're folks. It is Friday, April twenty fourth, and Mike Rabel keeps talking, So that means everybody else keeps talking about this scandal between the new England Patriots coach and a now former NFL reporter. With that welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ aprol If this has become a tap Lloyd story. Their headlines all over the place. Everybody's talking, but Mike Rabel seems to want to keep talking as well. We heard from him again last night.
Yes, this was a little surprising.
Do you remember last week when we said, wow, do you know the one person we're not talking about, the one name we're not saying Mike Rabel, Because all we were talking about was the female the NFL reporter, Diana Racini, and even another female sideline reporter NFL reporter who ended up getting fired for making negative comments about Diana Rossini. So we weren't talking about Mike Rabel. But man, things have changed this week, and namely because he has been
addressing photographs. There have been more photographs that have been released, and some people have blamed him by not admitting it, by not fully acknowledging it that now Internet sleuts are trying to trap him and find more reasons to keep his name in the headlines. But he has yes made another public statement right before the NFL Draft.
Last night, and he had to do this. He spoke earlier this week and essentially just address and folks, you're up on the story by now coach Mike Brabel, the second year head coach of the New England Patriots, was seen in some without a doubt, compromising photos with former NFL reporter Diana Russini, who was working with the athletic She has since resigned. But both of these are married people with kids, married to other people. But it's clear
in the photos this was more than just colleagues. Those are things we can just state as facts. The rest of it and the speculation and all that, we're not going to get into all that, but those are just facts. They have never come out and just flat out She certainly didn't Robes Russini flat out come out and say that they did something wrong. In her resignation letter, she
talked about a false narrative and all this stuff. He was the one earlier this week when we finally heard from him Robes who said he had done wrong without saying I'm sorry or exactly saying what he had done wrong.
Yeah, he said he had difficult conversations with his family. Is pretty much how he put it. His first response was that the pictures or a response was laughable. He has very much changed his tune since that moment, and he was specifically asked about his initial comment when he made his latest presser at least before the NFL draft, and he addressed that.
But yes, now he has gone.
So far as to say that he is acknowledging that he basically has had bad behavior. So he's taken it a step further. But this was because more pictures were released on yesterday that date back to twenty twenty. There was a photo of Rabel and Racini in a New York City in twenty twenty where they just seem very friendly. His hand is on her leg, I believe, and I
think there was a pack or a kiss. And then there was another photo of them at a twenty twenty four in twenty twenty four at a casino where they just looked like they were having a good time. And so because of those two photos, it seems that Mike Rabel felt the need to then stand in front of reporters and the press and a microphone and speak again about his behavior.
He didn't say anything. He said as much this time as he said the first time, again not much, saying he's taking accountability for his behavior, but not exactly saying what that behavior is. No one has acknowledged that these two were in a relationship of some kind, a romantic one. They have not confirmed that at all. If that's their business,
that's what they're doing, that is fine. However, robes the issue when people either you don't talk, but if you're talking, you better clear up the questions if people have and the reason the story keeps going robes is. I think the first time he spoke earlier this week at a press conference, essentially saying the same things, I didn't act right. I didn't hold myself to the right standard. We even when he said earlier this week, why did he have
to see this. He's not under investigation, he's not being punished. He didn't necessarily have to do this. Your estimation was it was either coming from his wife or two he knew something else was coming in certain something else was.
It seems like maybe it was both, because yes, you had you have I'm sure a wife who has been quiet, who has been silent. He's been married to her for twenty six years in counting. He has two adult sons with his wife, Jen, and so yes, my speculation was that she wanted him to put a public face on it and to acknowledge his misstep and to basically be respectful of her and their children together by publicly acknowledging this without getting specific.
But yes, there were more pictures that came out.
We don't know if he knew it was coming out, but he again now took to the microphone.
I feel like he tried to take it a little step further.
He hasn't acknowledged anything specific that is true, but he's talking about his actions, taking accountability for his actions.
He's talking about being a distraction. But he has not.
And he did start it off by saying, I understand that there are a lot of questions well, and.
One has not been it's I don't know if it's being asked. It is being assumed that these two were having an affair. They have not denied that outside of their initial statements, which actually didn't deny it, just kind of brushed it off. All this is laughable, that kind of thing, But neither one of them have acknowledged. They don't have to for my sake at all. They don't need you to do anything.
But if you want the internet sleuths, the tabloid magazines, the folks who are trying to get you caught, you gotcha. The only way you put that to bed is if you go ahead and say what needs to be said, and there's nothing less to find out.
Yeah, because he's essentially I guess what, Robes. He hasn't said anything but the suggestion. Now that again another set of pictures from six years ago, showing them in once again a compromising position to where there are more than just colleagues. Okay, he doesn't have to answer that. He has to answer that to his family, to his wife, and maybe to his team. But Robes, if he keeps speaking to the press, you gotta say something that answers
the questions that are in the press. He keeps saying thank you all for being respectful to my family, thank you all to these reporters in the room. But Robes, he hasn't said I'm sorry, and he hasn't used the word apologize in public. I'm not saying he has to. But if he's trying to do some pr which seems like he's trying to do, it's making it worse.
It is making it worse because when you decide to speak camera like, you decide to speak to the press and you don't directly address the photographs.
That have everyone asking you questions.
If you don't address the nature of your relationship with Rassini, when you talk to the press about the photos about this relationship, you're just going to continue to fuel more speculation, more digging into your past life because either don't talk at all or say something that actually directly addresses the issue.
Yes, one or the other.
He's trying to do something in between, and it's not working.
You can't thread that needle. You just can't in this age of social media, this age of internet sluts, as you say. But here he was last night. We knew this had to happen because this was the NFL Draft got started last night. So he's there with his team in Pittsburgh for the draft, so he had to do
all these coaches do a press conference. So he did a press conference, stepped out, and the first thing they said is it's going to make a comment then take some questions, and at the end of his comments, he said, that's going to be all I'm gonna say, essentially trying to tell the room don't ask me nothing after I get done with my statement. So he made about a three minute statement, but this was the relevant part. We'll play for you here. Now it's a little low, but
you can make it out. But this is, I guess Robes. This was the strongest part of his statement in addressing all that's been going on.
You know, my previous actions don't meet the standard that that I hold myself to. They don't. And what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life, my family and his football team, is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I'd give them, which the best version of me. And that's what we're
gonna do. And that's going to start. That has started, that'll that'll continue this weekend, and it'll continue for however long it takes for me to give them complete that promise of given giving them the best version of me possible. And that's what's going to happen. And that's what's been happening.
However long it takes. I guess Robes perked some years.
Yes, A lot of people wrote about that, saying that he's basically leaving space for him to take a leave or to not be as present on the football field or with the Patriots if his family needs him to be focused on something else. So he gave himself room to prioritize his family over football.
You know, that was I don't know if I had it in this sound bite, but it was a part of something he said earlier, the two most important things in his life family and football in that order. And he's but he said moving forward, he is going to find a better balance that he has found. I think that's probably real because the Robes from college to the pros, we've been around a bunch of coaches, a bunch of programs.
The thing, you, man, these guys are so committed to that job and head coaching, it just consumes their lives.
Right And now, given what's been exposed, I would imagine what's going on in his home with his wife. She's like, yeah, so now now let's talk about balance. Now let's talk about having you be a part of this family in a way that maybe you haven't, which allowed for perhaps what we saw in these pictures to occur.
But you know, we don't know what's going on with his life. We piece it together. I'm just thinking how stressful his life. He's been a pro player, went into coaching, another head coaching gig, he went to the Super Bowl. Robes the dedication, the sacrifice, his entire but he has two grown sons, they're on their twenties, props. The sacrifice is that entire family has made for him to be successful. It's just a it was a group thing. But we
don't know. But these things robes that balance. We talk about how that can He's acknowledging it has contributed to some failings of his and his household. I hated to hear that part. That was the realist part. I think I've heard from Mike Rabel in all of this.
Yeah, I mean, look and look, and the point being is we may not hear from him again on this, and maybe let's hope we don't, because if he's not going to say anything that's going to clear up and get specific with all of these rumors, then he probably shouldn't say anything at all. Because look, we heard from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last night again, he told ESPN that rabel is not any of his actions or any of this controversy doesn't fall under the league's personal conduct policy.
He said that it is a team.
Matters, that the NFL is not looking into disciplining him. They're not looking into investigating him. They are just cheering him on and supporting him. So he has no professional issues. No, so he doesn't need to speak again.
As long as they start winning, he will have further no professional issues. I took him to a super Bowl in his first year as coach, his team, the Patriots. Did you see their statement yesterday, Robes, They put out a statement. I have never seen a more full throated support of a guy in scandal from his employer ever, Like.
Ever, He's gonna be okay.
Wow, that was incredible. Again, no crime is alleged here, nothing criminal. He's not being investigated for anything. So this is just something Robes right now that they want to go away that it looks bad. It is a personal matter, but it becomes so public now. I don't know if the NFL is it just a does it hurt the league? Does it hurt the team?
Probably not?
Ask me.
Week four there's no morality clause in the NFL contracts.
Boy, that would be a really crappy product to watch on Sunday. There's a morality clause. But stay with us. Robes was talking about just a moment ago. There. For a while, at least the first week or so, it seemed like all we were talking about were women involved in this particular case. Now, finally all the attention seems to be on Brabel, but we are getting updates from the woman at the center of this scandal as well. Diana Rossini, has made some moves.
Stay here, Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ. Mike Rabel keeps standing in front of a microphone and not saying much while he's trying to put to bed this controversy that has not let go for the past couple of weeks. More photos emerging between Mike Rabel and former NFL reporter who was once working for the Athletic The New York Times reporter Diana Rossini. She has since resigned, but now we're looking at photos that
date back to twenty twenty. So the allegations are that this relationship, whatever it was, may have been going on for six years. Plus, so while we aren't getting any clarification from Vrabel, we are getting some very interesting moves from Diana Rassini. She has dramatically altered her social media presence, they can put it that way. On Thursday, when these new photos emerged, she turned her Instagram into a private account.
She has two hundred and four thousand followers. You no longer can follow her if you want to, and she can decide who comes.
And who goes.
And then perhaps the most dramatic thing she did, she completely deleted her ex account.
And I saw some folks who.
Are NFL, who report on the NFL, they say, this the X that is like a NFL reporter's like blood.
That's how you communicate.
That's how you get instant information out to fans, to viewers, to supporters. And this is kind of your communication basically with the people who follow you for the latest and greatest information. For her to delete this X account signify something very significant.
Yeah, it just rose. Is there an uglier place for discourse than X? I mean it is. It is awful, babe.
I've been off X for ten years.
I do not I have an account like just to look at other people's accounts. But this is like when I was at Good Morning America a long time ago. You can go down this horrible rabbit hole a feeling awful about yourself because pretty much people just use that forum.
To lambast you.
Yeah, it can be that was the right thing.
It's brutal.
That was the right call for her, and I understand that. Rose. I just don't know what's next or what else is coming. We talked about Rabel. He is off on Saturday, at least with the team. The NFL Draft goes through Saturday, but he has already announced he will not be with the team on Saturday. Instead, Robes found a counselor working on a Saturday, but he told us he was going to start start counseling, but the sound by yesterday sounded like he's already started.
It did sound like it, and his family seems to possibly be involved as well, because he said he was going to be spending the weekend yes in counseling, but also with his family. So this could be a personal journey, he could also be a collective journey. They may be having family counseling, couples counseling. There may be a lot of therapy going on in the Raable household, and look if that puts them on and puts him on a
better path. Sometimes, Look it's it's hard to see it and feel it when you're in the midst of something like this, as public and awful as it feels, this could be the beginning of something really beautiful and new, a new start for him, a new way forward, a better way of living and being, and so that could actually this could all end up being a really positive, incredible thing for him and for his family.
And be kind if you can throughout. I know how it is robes and how people are, but just please take a beat and be kind before you hit send on whatever you're saying and whatever rumor you're putting out there, and whatever speculation you're having about it. I know you think Rabel and you think Russini are the worst people in the world, and they deserve everything coming to them.
But these people got families. These people have kids who are reading this stuff, who are still going to school, who still have their own circles, who still have their own family. There's just so many people touching this thing, and we know that people are hurting right now. Don't know who's respond you want to lay blame. I understand, but Rose, this is just horrible for a family to go through privately. It is almost unbearable to think about
going through it this publicly. So just that to your folks. It's a lot of stuff being said out there. Just take a beat and be as kind as you can to people who that you, even though ones you think have done terrible things. Just take a beat. Yea, it hits in.
There's always a level of understanding that we'll never get, that we'll never know, We don't ever know what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. Always try to remember that a certainly before hitting send and without everyone, thank you for joining us. We always appreciate you. On Amy Robach alongside TJ.
Holmes. We will talk to you soon.