Any way you slice it this is a bad look. Two married professionals on opposite sides of the same business galivanting around, holding hands and seemingly emerged in some kind of extramarital bliss.
Page Six dropped a bombshell on the NFL world when it released photos on Tuesday showing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini holding hands, hugging and spending intimate time together at a “luxurious” Arizona hotel.
“BREAKING: Exclusive photos show Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini, who are both married, holding hands and hugging at a luxurious hotel in Sedona, Arizona, a boutique resort two weekends ago, via Page Six.”
It appeared to be the ideal lovers getaway destination.
The reports and photos naturally sparked online speculation of whether the coach and reporter, who are both married, were involved in a relationship, spending time together.
Of course, both Vrabel and Russini went into damage control mode, releasing releasing statements to Page Six denying any relationship beyond being friends, calling the interactions “innocent.”
Fans Comments On Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Alleged Cheating Scandal
It sure doesn’t look innocent to fans who chirped in and were not buying the excuses. Some went as far as to say that Vrabel was feeding Russini information to manipulate narratives and players’ livelihoods.
“So Vrabel was having an affair with russini. Who was cheating on her eagles fan husband. And he was feeding her info trying to lower the price on AJ. Which Howie already said he wouldn’t do. Howie sent big dom to track them and dropped the photos. This should be a major scandal. Patriots organization being sneaky cheats again,” said one user.
“I’m crying man. Titans fans said Russini and vrabel were screwing for YEARS bro. She was getting scoops when nobody else was able to get a peep out of the team at the time,” alleges one fan on X.
“Vrabel and Russini were with a group of friends. They all happened to be little people, sources close to the situation have told me, “one fan captioned above of a photo of the two embracing with not a person in sight.
“A married female reporter sleeping around ?? No way !!!” said another netizen.
“There! That’s the type of behavior America’s professional sports leagues approve of. Less Jesus, more adultry, right,” one user commented.
Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Relationship Rumors
Reports from The New York Post on Tuesday included photos of Vrabel and Russini “holding hands and hugging at a luxurious hotel.”
The Patriots head coach and reporter were spotted “two weekends ago” at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona.
According to Page Six, sources gave them a detailed account of Vrabel and Russini’s interaction, which included having “breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant,” then spending “a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.”
If the first sighting could be misconstrued, later that evening, the two were seen together “on the private rooftop of one of the hotel’s bungalows. The incriminating photos show them hugging, holding hands and lying together by the hotel pool.
How Did Mike Vrabel & Diana Russini End Up At Resort Together?: Conflicting Sources
According to further reports, friends of the duo said that Russini, a married woman, was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two friends. Vrabel, also married, allegedly “drove up to Sedona for the day,” with a friend and then went back to their own hotel around two hours away reportedly “hanging out with Russini and her gang.”
Vrabel had reportedly been in the area for a scouting event at Arizona State University on Friday, March 27, prior to him and Russini being present at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix for the annual NFL Competition Committee meeting.
However, there are reportedly three other sources that dispute those claims, telling Page Six that the couple didn’t have any visible friends with them, as there were no other people shown in the released photos.
Mike Vrabel & Dianna Russini Release Statements: They Are Just Friends & Colleagues
In a statement, Vrabel said his relationship with Russini is “innocent.”
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told Page Six. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini also released a statement insisting that the released pictures were not representative of the full group at the hotel.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini told Page Six. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
The story got so much press that executive editor of The Athletic, Steven Ginsberg, said in a statement that the photos were “misleading.”
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people,” Ginsberg said, per Page Six. “Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.”
Mike Vrabel and Russini Married: Maybe This Is How They Get Down
Mike Vrabel has been married for over 26 years to his wife Jen. They met as student-athletes at Ohio State in the mid‑1990s. Jen was a volleyball star and Mike was eventually drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.
Russini has been married since 2020 to husband Kevin Goldschmidt. He is an executive for Shake Shack and they share two children.
Russini has worked as an NFL reporter and insider since 2015. She’s respected in the business and launched her career when she joined ESPN as a “SportsCenter” anchor and NFL insider, appearing frequently on shows like “NFL Live” and “Sunday NFL Countdown.”
She departed ESPN after eight years in August 2023 to become the lead NFL insider for The Athletic, where she currently resides, breaking news, offering analysis as well as hosting a podcast “Scoop City: Inside the NFL.”
Vrabel is fresh off his first season as head coach of the New England Patriots, where he took the NFL world by storm. He was named head coach in January 2025, and in his first season he led the team to a historic 14–3 record and a Super Bowl appearance, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 29–13 in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
