Rich Eisen is not a man of few words. As the host of a daily three-hour talk show, he can’t be. But on Thursday, he chose brevity, which his listeners could construe as a cop-out.
As the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel saga began another chapter with the news that the Patriots coach won’t be with his team beginning Saturday, the third day of the NFL Draft, Eisen addressed the matter early in his ESPN show, evasively hemming and hawing for three minutes:
“I’ll be very honest with you, folks. I have avoided talking about this subject matter because it involves two consenting, married adults and what they were doing in their spare time with each other, allegedly … . I understand that there’s professionalism at stake for both individuals.
“But now the fact that Mike Vrabel’s not gonna be in the draft room … on Saturday because he is taking a moment in time to seek counseling, apparently, with his family … I’ve never heard of anything like this. … Whatever both he and Dianna need to do … I tip my cap to both people that I’ve known for quite some time. … I was kind of shocked to see that headline.
“Just wanted to address that to start our program here today from the draft city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kurt Warner’s about to join us …”
Uh, Kurt Warner can wait, Rich. How can you not delve into something that “shocked” you?
It was another example of NFL media types treating a consequential story not with kid gloves, but by not touching it at all.
Initially, Russini and Vrabel flatly dismissed the suggestive photos of them that arose in the New York Post earlier this month. Since then, Russini resigned as The Athletic’s lead NFL reporter, and Vrabel is set to take a hiatus. The Post revealed more damning photos Thursday.
But because both are well-liked in NFL circles, they’re being protected by their media colleagues. Russini and Vrabel shouldn’t be given cover; they should be covered. Eisen was right to say “professionalism” is at stake. That includes his. He lacked it by avoiding the subject.
Others have, too. Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal said on The Sports Hub in Boston that it wasn’t his job to cover extramarital affairs, that the only reason the station was talking about it was because the draft had “no juice.”
ESPN’s website didn’t include Vrabel’s upcoming absence among it’s “Top Headlines” on Thursday afternoon. The NFL Coach of the Year missing eight picks during the draft should qualify as a top headline all day.
Ethics involving relationships and sourcing are industrywide issues that should be discussed, whether or not we know the offenders.