Dianna Russini, the former reporter for The Athletic, has entered into the social media deletion phase of crisis management.
It’s the NFL scandal that just keeps unfolding before our eyes. Every time you think there’s nothing else that can come out about Russini 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.
Dianna Russini herself confirmed that in a now deleted tweet/post. In fact, all of her posts that used to exist on X (formerly Twitter) are now deleted because she deleted her entire account. It used to boast over 450,000 followers, which is impressive and very valuable in the sports new breaking business. Her deleting her X account feels like somewhat of a confirmation that she won’t ever need to break news to thousands of people ever again.
Russini also moved her Instagram account to private around the same time, and many fans are wondering why she would go to all these lengths. If you are to look at the timing of it all, it certainly seems like Patriots head coach Mike Vrable basically confirming the affair ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft was the tipping point.
When the scandal first broke, both he and Russini were denying any wrongdoing. Then just yesterday, Vrable stood up in front of the media and said this:
“I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about: my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans. My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to.”
Seems like an admission to me. Russini deactivated her X (Twitter) account and moved her Instagram to private hours after that statement.
That’s a far cry from her initial reaction to the pictures that hit the internet. Initially, she swore that her relationship with Vrabel was professional. But once photos of Russini and Vrabel kissing at a New York City bar in 2020 surfaced, saying they had a strictly reporter-coach relationship was out the window.
Since all of this broke, Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic. Like I touched on earlier, 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, but New England has stood by him, and supports the steps he’s taking to better himself.
He plans on getting counseling… after he helps his team make decisions through the first two rounds at the NFL Draft.
