New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has been raked over the coals due to the most recent photos that were released of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini.

Vrabel said he will be stepping away from the team to seek counseling. However, he’s put the Patriots into a PR disaster that began when he fervently denied that the first photo dump of him and Russini at an Arizona resort showed anything nefarious. He brushed it off as “a completely innocent interaction.”

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Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman weighed in with his reaction in an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday. He said that he didn’t think the dark cloud around Vrabel would affect the team football-wise, but his job depended on what message the organization wants to send.

“This is my thing when it comes to that,” Merriman said. “He didn’t break any laws first and foremost, right? This is something morally maybe wrong. Something he’ll have to deal with when it comes to that. I do not believe, in my opinion, I do not believe this will be a football distraction. This will have to be, internally, that, we don’t want to deal with it because what it sends a message for, but it’s not going to affect the players in the locker room and how he’s coaching, how they’re coached, how they listen to and follow him, and how Vrabel leads.

“Football wise, I don’t think it does anything at all. It just really depends on what message do you want to send by keep going forward with him. That’s what I would say.”

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Page Six and TMZ published new rounds of Vrabel-Russini photos earlier Thursday. It sparked a pre-draft news conference from Vrabel.

“My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to,” Vrabel said. “My priorities are my family and this football team, in that order. And there is a balance there that I am going to create.”

At the end of the news conference, Vrabel was asked to explain why he initially made a statement calling photos of him and Russini at an Arizona resort “laughable” after they were published by the New York Post earlier in April.

“That’s a private and personal matter. I don’t think that those comments … it was an attempt to protect your family,” Vrabel said.

It was the last question Vrabel answered before storming off the podium and out of the room.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

The most accomplished Olympic women’s bobsledder in history is now an official brand ambassador in the movement to “save women’s sports”. 

Olympic bobsled legend Kaillie Humphries has signed with the activist sportswear company XX-XY Athletics, becoming the latest medal-winning Olympian to represent the brand.

“Being able to partner with a brand that believes in the same things I do, that’s willing to stand up and actively work on protecting the women’s space and women’s sports is huge,” Humphries told Fox News Digital. 

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Humphries first spoke out about her support for protecting women’s sports from biological male trans athletes in a Fox News Interview that went viral after the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.

Humphries had just returned after winning bronze in women’s bobsled, marking her sixth career Olympic medal. She later revealed that she received backlash for coming out as a Republican with other conservative stances in that interview, but didn’t back down.

Humphries went on to be honored at a White House Women’s History Month event by President Donald Trump in March, and gave her Order of Ikkos medal to Trump, citing his actions to protect women’s sports. 

“Being able to come back to the USA after the Olympics and then be able to make connections and meet some people, I was able to, when I went to the White House, I was able to meet people that were connected obviously in working with XX-XY and that’s how the conversation started,” Humphries said.

Humphries, who is originally from Canada and competed in her first three Olympics for Canada, moved to the U.S. in 2016 and then competed for Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

FEMALE ATHLETES ANXIOUSLY AWAIT SUPREME COURT DECISION TO TAKE UP TRANSGENDER PARTICIPATION IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

Just months after that, America was rocked by the news that male transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was winning championships for UPenn’s women’s swim team.

Humphries, who was following the story in the news, found it startling. 

Now, as a California resident and the mother of a newborn son, she is energized to help combat the wave of trans athletes in girls’ sports in the state, as California has become the nation’s biggest hotbed for the issue. 

XX-XY Athletics co-founder and former U.S. gymnast Jennifer previously told Fox News Digital one of her biggest goals for the brand was to land high-profile superstar women’s athletes as brand ambassadors, especially Olympic medalists.

Now, with Humphries, the brand has a three-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time Olympic podium finisher across her stints for Canada and the U.S. 

Humphries joins Olympic silver medalist gymnast MyKayla Skinner and gold medal swimmer Nancy Hogshead on XX-XY Athletics’ growing roster of Olympians.

“Kaillie is the GOAT of her sport. She is the only Olympian to win gold for two different countries. She is an elite athlete and a courageous, fierce woman who has fought for female athletes to have equal opportunities in sport.” Sey told Fox News Digital.

“The women’s monobob event exists because of Kaillie’s leadership, and she has gold-medal proof that women have the skill, strength, and speed to compete at the highest level. She has driven meaningful change and expanded opportunities for women at the Olympic level — more female athletes represent Team USA because of Kaillie. And that’s exactly why we’re leading with her as we grow in how we support female athletes.”

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Cameras showed former New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch in the team’s draft room Thursday night during the first round.

At one point, Tisch was seen standing near Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Despite no longer holding a majority stake in the NFL franchise, Tisch remains the Giants’ chairman of the board.

ESPN obtained an NFL memo last month detailing plans by Steve Tisch and his siblings to transfer their stake in the Giants to trusts for their children.

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“Prior transfers to these Trusts were completed pursuant to 2023 and 2024 Finance Committee approvals,” the memo stated. “The Sellers now propose to transfer their entire remaining interests, totaling 23.1% of the Club, to the Trusts. … Following the transactions, the Sellers will no longer own any interest in the Club.”

GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH, SIBLINGS LOOK TO TRANSFER EQUITY STAKE TO CHILDREN’S TRUSTS, NFL MEMO SHOWS

It was not clear if the transfer requests were in any way related to Tisch’s name appearing in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department in January. Tisch’s name came up more than 400 times in the files. Tisch at the time said he knew Epstein but denied visiting Epstein’s island.

As for draft night, the Giants made what some viewed as an unconventional pick at No. 10, selecting offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.

Before that, the Giants added another piece to their pass rush, selecting hybrid edge/off-ball linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5.

Reese earned All-American honors at Ohio State and finished his first season as a full-time starter with 6.5 sacks.

Reese is set to join a pass rush that includes Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and, likely, Kayvon Thibodeaux.

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