The scandalous NFL story that just keeps on giving.
Every time you think there’s nothing else that can come out about reporter Dianna Russini (former reporter now) and current New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, another layer is peeled back. Just in case you’ve somehow missed out on this story, it all got started when photos, first published by Page Six, surfaced a couple weeks ago showing Vrabel holding hands and lounging in a pool with the reporter on a rooftop in Sedona, Arizona.
Page Six was the first to report that eyewitnesses saw the two alone, with no one else for the entire time they spent together. That’s obviously problematic… because both Vrabel and Russini are married (not to one another). The Patriots coach has been married to his wife, Jen Vrabel, since 1999, and the couple have two children together. Russini, meanwhile, has been married to Shake Shack vice president Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020. They also have two children together… and one of them is named Michael.
That might seem like a coincidence, but it all feels a bit icky when you take a look at a timeline. Especially when you factor in new photos that were just released today of the pair kissing in a New York City bar in 2020. Page Six released these photos this morning showing Vrabel and Russini kissing back in March of 2020, while Vrabel was head coach of the Tennessee Titans (and married to his wife).
Russini was engaged at the time, and married her now-husband six months after the photos were taken.
Dianna Russini and her husband, Kevin, welcomed a baby boy into the world in August of 2021 after being married in September of 2020. Their first born son’s name? They went with Michael, and if you think that’s just pure coincidence and a very common name for a boy, Dianna Russini herself confirmed that with this post from 2021 that has… aged very poorly to say the least:
“Keep looking at my almost 4 day old son Michael while trying to figure out who are the best Michaels to ever play and coach in the NFL?”
Michael as in… Mike Vrabel? It all feels weird knowing the timing of everything else, eh? I mean… what an absolutely INSANE thing to tweet out.
The response has been ever more insane:
Since the reports first came out, Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic. It’s hard to imagine her working as a reporter ever again, as speculation swirls about whether or not she used her connection to Vrabel to get insider information. As for the Patriots head coach, he’s said that he’s had difficult conversations with his family and his team in recent weeks.
Vrabel made headlines on NFL Draft Day when it was revealed that he would be stepping away from the team after day two of the draft to seek counseling. Vrabel confirmed that news with this statement:
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
That came out hours before the new pictures of Vrabel and Russini kissing were released. Like I said earlier… there’s a whole lot of layers to this story, and I wouldn’t be surprised if even more is peeled back in the weeks to come.
