The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal might have serious consequences for a couple of people not directly involved in the affair. Ironically, the unnamed couple who took the hotel photos that exposed the New England Patriots coach and the ex-NFL insider could be in the most legal trouble.
Although Vrabel and Russini were spotted in public, they were under the impression that their hotel provided them with privacy, only to be caught on camera by people looking on from a distance. In doing so, the couple who took the pictures could be sued by Vrabel and Russini, according to Sportico legal expert Michael McCann.
“The unnamed ‘local couple’ who happened to be vacationing at Ambiente and who took photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini (in different hotel locations) might have broken the law and could be sued by Vrabel and Russini,” McCann tweeted.
McCann posted a link to his article, in which he states that it is illegal to “knowingly photograph” people who have a reasonable belief that they are in private while having “sexual contact.” He believes Vrabel and Russini hanging out by a pool together while holding hands falls into that category.
“In Arizona, it’s a crime to knowingly photograph another person when that person has a reasonable expectation of privacy and that person is having ‘sexual contact’ or is without clothing,” McCann wrote. “In several of the published photos, Vrabel and Russini are in a hot tub or with their fingers interlaced. Even if those circumstances fall short of what’s needed to show a criminal act, the photographs could still give rise to civil claims.”
Both the NFL and the Patriots have refrained from intervening in the scandal as long as it remains a matter of public concern rather than a legal matter, and as long as it avoids investigation. According to McCann, it might be up to Vrabel and Russini to take it there.
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