The Mike Vrabel–Dianna Russini saga has been the NFL’s most unavoidable storyline for over a month. Ever since Page Six published photos of the New England Patriots’ head coach and the former Athletic reporter together at a luxury Arizona resort, the fallout has overshadowed the draft, schedule release, and virtually everything else around the league.
Given the circus, many expected the league to steer New England away from the spotlight in Week 1. Instead, the NFL did the opposite, slotting the Patriots into the marquee Wednesday night season opener on NBC against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, a Super Bowl 60 rematch that guarantees Vrabel will continue to dominate the headlines.
NFL EVP Denies Influence of Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Scandal on Schedule
Over the last month, Russini resigned from The Athletic amid an internal investigation, Vrabel skipped the final day of the draft for family counseling, and the Los Angeles Chargers subtly mocked the situation in their schedule-release video.
The NFL’s decision to put the Patriots in the season opener only fueled speculation that the league was banking on the scandal to deliver ratings for kickoff night, with a large number of casual fans tuning in for the off-field drama.
However, NFL Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder shot that theory down on Friday’s conference call.
“Look, we focused on the football game and the reach of the Super Bowl, and that alone is an incredible story,” he said. “How do we deliver the best game into the best window?” Schroeder explained the NFL’s rationale for choosing a Super Bowl rematch as the season opener. “And in this case, it felt like that rematch is going to be the most exciting when you can start it out of the box.”
“We liked the idea of really celebrating the Seahawks, giving them a moment to start this year to celebrate their last year,” he continued. “And so we like the idea of opening on NBC on Wednesday, and really using that as a chance to celebrate the rematch, but celebrate Seattle specifically.”
The messaging aligns with the league’s overall approach to the scandal, as the NFL continues not to investigate Vrabel.
Although Schroeder pointed out the football aspect of the game as the reason for putting the Patriots in the season opener, everyone knows it is likely only due to ratings, as the Chicago Bears might have presented a better challenge and a more entertaining game in Week 1 against the defending champions.
Moreover, once the Dallas Cowboys were locked into Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants in Week 1 and the Kansas City Chiefs were set to host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, no remaining matchup carried the same built-in drama for casual fans as Patriots-Seahawks.
