It’s been a tough 2026 for Mike Vrabel.
First, the New England Patriots head coach lost the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks
And now, he’s at the center of a messy scandal involving the New York Times‘ NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
In photos obtained by Page Six, Vrabel and Russini can be seen looking mighty friendly with one another at a resort in Arizona.
They were both in town for league meetings that took place at the end of March.
The only problem is that both parties are married to other people.
According to Page Six, Mike and Dianna had brunch together at their resort, before “spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.”
The outlet further alleges that Mike and Dianna were spotted “holding hands and hugging” during their day together.
Dianna has been married to Shake Shack exec Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020, while Mike tied the knot with wife Jennifer Vrabel, the mother of his two children, in 1999.
In statements to the New York Post, both Vrabel and Russini denied any wrongdoing.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini told the outlet.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the New York Post on Tuesday, April 7. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini’s employer, The Athletic, also sounded off on the matter.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” said executive editor Steven Ginsberg. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
Russini’s name is familiar to NFL fans due to her many years in the
She joined SportsCenter in 2015 and has appeared on ESPN’s popular NFL Countdown and NFL Live shows.
In more recent years, Russini switched over to print coverage in podcasts.
In 2023, she joined The Athletic, which was later acquired by the Times and she hosts the outlet’s “Scoop City: Inside the NFL” podcast.
Vrabel, of course, is a former linebacker who now serves as head coach for the New England Patriots.
He led the team to an AFC Championship in his first year on the job. But this situation could spell trouble for his career.
As many on social media have pointed out, another iconic Boston sports franchise, the NBA’s Celtics, fired coach Ime Udoka for an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member.
Even if the affair speculation turns out to be accurate — and again, both parties say it’s not — Vrabel might be spared by the fact that Russini is not an employee of the Celtics.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.