Russell said, when contacted yesterday, he had no comment to make on the incident in Queenstown, and just wanted to get on with the rest of the season.
Russell was believed to be involved in an incident in Queenstown on April 10 which involved drinking, after the side had lost to the Force earlier in the day.
But he said yesterday it was a personal issue and was well outside and away from Highlanders boundaries.
He said it had been blown out of all proportion, no players were involved, and he did not do anything wrong.
Russell said he just wanted to get on with the season, and continue on with the good work the side had shown in beating the Waratahs 26-10 in Invercargill last Friday night.
Highlanders chairman Ross Laidlaw earlier said there was a minor incident involving Russell and it had been dealt with internally.
He declined to say whether any penalty was handed out.
Russell's two-year contract with the Highlanders finishes at the end of the season, but he said he had not really thought much about the future after the next two games.
He said the coaching team had worked well together, so in that regard he was keen to continue.
Russell (47), who missed out on the Hurricanes head coaching job earlier this season, still has another two years to go on his contract with Hawke's Bay.
Russell said the Highlanders had played well over the past couple of games, coming back from the bye, and wanted to see the season out with a couple of good performances.
The Highlanders play the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday night, followed by the Reds in Brisbane on May 15.
