New photos show Patriots coach Mike Vrabel kissing Dianna Russini in 2020
New photos of New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini have emerged that appear to show the pair kissing at a bar in New York City six years ago.
The new images come just weeks after Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43 — both married to other people — were pictured holding hands and hugging at a luxury resort in Arizona. Russini has since resigned from her role at The Athletic, where she closely followed Vrabel’s team. Vrabel addressed the photos earlier this week and remains with the Patriots, though he will reportedly miss part of this weekend’s NFL draft to attend counseling.
In the new photos from March 11, 2020, obtained by Page Six, the two can be seen talking closely, holding hands, and kissing. Vrabel — then coaching the Tennessee Titans — was wearing a wedding ring. At the time, Russini was six months from marrying Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt.
An insider who snapped the photos told Page Six that they witnessed Russini’s legs “in between” Vrabel’s. “They were having a glorious time. They were [giving each other] pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly,” the source continued.
The Independent has contacted the Patriots and Russini for comment.
The new photos come after Vrabel broke his silence Tuesday on the March photos, telling the media he has had “difficult conversations with people I care about,” including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players.
Vrabel followed that media statement up Wednesday, telling ESPN: “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.”
He added: “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.”
The NFL confirmed last weekend that Vrabel’s conduct is not being investigated.
Russini, meanwhile, resigned from her role as as “senior NFL insider” and host of the Scoop City: Inside the NFL podcast at The Athletic over the photos, despite maintaining her innnocence.
In her resignation letter, Russini affirmed that she covered the NFL “with professionalism and dedication.”
“I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she continued.
The New York Times, which acquired The Athletic as its sports outlet in 2022, confirmed that the nature of Russini’s relationship with Vrabel and her coverage were being reviewed. The Athletic’s editorial guidelines require that their journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility, The Times added.
Not long after Russini published her resignation letter, The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg shared a statement with Page Six saying the ongoing investigation sparked “new questions.”
“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter,” he continued.
However, “additional information emerged” and “new questions were raised that became part of our investigation,” he wrote.
Ginsberg acknowledged that Russini chose to resign and that the investigation into her conduct was ongoing.
