New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were caught kissing at a secluded bar six years ago, it has been claimed.
It comes after different pictures emerged of the two hugging and hanging out poolside at an adults-only resort in Arizona earlier this month.
The latest batch of exclusive photos from the New York Post purportedly shows Vrabel, then-coach of the Tennessee Titans, at the now-closed Tribeca Tavern with the journalist, who was working for ESPN and frequently covering the team at the time.
‘They were kissing and they were all over each other,’ one witness told Page Six of the March 11, 2020, encounter in New York. ‘He had a ring on.’
The source went on to describe the pair as ‘all over each other.’
‘They were having a glorious time,’ the source said. ‘They were [giving each other] pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly. There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.’
Curiously, the photos were reportedly taken as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the United States, although nobody appeared to be practicing social distancing.
Russini was married to her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, later that year. Vrabel, meanwhile, has been married to his wife Jen since 1999. Both have two children.
Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel have known each other since his time as head coach of the Titans. Both have denied claims of an affair
Vrabel has admitted he’s been forced to have ‘difficult conversations with people I care about’ as he addressed the Russini photo scandal for the first time on Tuesday
Russini and Vrabel were reportedly seen together at the now-closed Tribeca Tavern in 2020
Russini would join the Athletic in 2023, while Vrabel took over in New England last year before guiding the Patriots to the Super Bowl.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Russini and through Vrabel’s agent.
Earlier this month, the New York Post published suggestive photos of Vrabel with Russini fraternizing at a $2,500-a-night retreat in Sedona, Arizona. The Post later released other pictures, ostensibly showing Vrabel and Russini enjoying breakfast together.
While sources close to both parties insisted to Page Six they were joined by a group of friends, ‘multiple eyewitnesses’ reportedly claimed the two were actually ‘alone’ in Arizona.
Vrabel and Russini have both denied any wrongdoing, while insisting the photos of them hugging and hanging poolside are misleading.
Russini was ultimately placed on leave and investigated by The Athletic’s parent company, The New York Times, only to resign from her position last week.
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, for over two decades and they have two children
Other than describing the Post’s story as ‘laughable’ in a brief statement, Vrabel had been silent on the matter until ostensibly making himself accountable to the public at Tuesday’s press conference.
Speaking to reporters as the Patriots started their offseason program, an emotional Vrabel said: ‘I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about about – with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players.
‘Those have been positive and productive. We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me.’
But while Vrabel appeared to be taking accountability for the scandal, he stopped short of answering questions about the allegations, his initial denial, and the fact that Russini is now out of a job.
Since then, the Patriots have revealed that Vrabel will be away from the team on Saturday, the third day of the NFL Draft, as he undergoes counseling.
The timing of the treatment has raised eyebrows, given the fact that the Patriots have eight of their 11 picks scheduled for the third and final day of the draft.
Dianna Russini married fast food executive Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 during the pandemic
NFL fans and gossip hounds have been combing through Russini’s every utterance for clues about the league insider’s personal life amid the scandal.
One memorable clip came from a 2021 episode of ESPN’s Get Up, when Russini discussed her marriage to Goldschmidt, a Shake Shack executive.
‘I’m married to someone average,’ she said at the time. ‘I don’t post a lot about him. If I was married to someone beautiful, I’d over-post too.’
Her ESPN co-hosts later gave Russini a chance to correct herself, to which she explained: ‘We’re average together.’
‘And you know what the worst part is,’ she continued. ‘He sent me a text during that segment – not watching ’cause he actually works for a living – and he said, “Good luck today. Be great on Get Up.”
‘So the guy’s got a heart of gold, and here I am on national TV killing him,’ she laughed. ‘Look, we’re average together, but he makes me above average because he married me. I am so sorry, I need to really stop killing my husband on television. I’m going to be divorced by Christmas!’
Trolls have lampooned online wedding photos of Russini with her husband amid the scandal
In another clip, Russini joked about having cold feet the night before her wedding while doing a phone interview with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was once voted the NFL’s ‘sexiest’ player.
‘The night before my wedding, I’m making calls and I had a phone interview set up with Jimmy Garoppolo,’ Russini told the Dan Le Batard show. ‘Jimmy was great. He made a funny joke, like: “Hey, night before your wedding, you sure you want to do this?”
‘I’m thinking, of all the people in my life that I would talk to the night before my wedding, the one guy… my mom wanted me to marry was Jimmy Garoppolo,’ she laughed.
Russini interviewing Vrabel last year after he got the Patriots job
Even Russini’s own mother has joked that her marriage is ‘falling apart,’ as the reporter told the ‘Stugotz and Company’ podcast in February.
The clue, according to Russini, was that Goldschmidt was taking better care of himself.
‘I go, “Yeah [Kevin] doesn’t seem as stressed this year,”‘ Dianna remembered saying to her mother. ‘And she goes, “You know I’m starting to think he’s got a girlfriend, and you know what? Good for him. He looks good, he’s successful, his wife’s never around. You love this football thing. That’s why he looks good.”
‘I go, “Why would you say that to me right now while I’m on a trip? That my husband has a girlfriend?”‘ Russini continued. ‘And she goes, “Ah, just keeping you on your toes, you know?”‘
Russini interviewing Vrabel in 2019, when he was coaching the Titans
Social media sleuths also unearthed Russini’s defense of Vrabel following his dismissal as the Titans’ head coach in early 2024. Despite his impressive work in Nashville, Vrabel was not given a new head coaching job immediately, so Russini tried to explain that it was the former linebacker’s ‘physical build’ that may have hindered his job search.
‘I don’t think that there was a fit for him. I don’t think he sat in front of any owner who thought that his style was going to work for what they were looking for,’ she said on one of The Athletic’s podcasts.
‘Do you know, I had a GM at the Senior Bowl who mentioned to me Vrabel’s physical build? That he’s a very large human being and can be very intimidating to people in an organization that are going to be part of these decisions.
‘That is a factor. Which, I laughed. I said, “Stop, that’s not something that’s real. Who cares what someone physically looks like?”
‘And he said, “I’m just telling you, I’ve been in rooms and somebody’s physical presence can make a difference.”‘
Goldschmidt and Russini married in September 2020.
She described the day as the ‘best’ of her life. As she wrote to him on Instagram for their anniversary in 2022: ‘It’s you and only you, for me, forever.’
