There are still over four months before the start of the NFL season, but the biggest story of the offseason has been out for a few weeks. A scandal involving Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini has dominated the news, even amid the NFL Draft. Russini has already resigned from The Athletic, but the story might not go away easily. And this analyst believes it’s not going away like this
NFL Analyst Believes Scandal Involving Vrabel and Russini Won’t Disappear Soon
After the coach first dismissed the story, calling it “laughable”, the implications became bigger almost instantly. New photos emerged of the pair, and as a result, Russini resigned from her job, while Vrabel was absent from the third day of the 2026 draft for the Patriots.
With the draft now over, all sides will hope the distraction vanishes, and they can focus on the upcoming season. However, not everyone believes that this will happen soon.
Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, hosts of the show “The Odd Couple” on Fox Sports, think there’s more to come in the scandal. Kelvin noted that people might not want to break the story, but now that it’s public, a lot of new information about their encounters will emerge.
“I think more things may come out. Because, now, somebody’s going to be, like, ‘I didn’t want to be the one to put it out there, but since it’s out there, let me go and send this off.’ I think more is gonna continue to unravel here.”
The Patriots already started their offseason program, with the team coming together during minicamp. Many players issued their support for Vrabel, who’s already back with the team after a quick trip to Utah during draft week.
Quarterback Drake Maye is one of the players who offered public support for Vrabel.
“We know he’s dealing with some stuff off the field and out of the coaching world, but we’re here for him and I know he’s gonna come back”, Maye said during the week.
The focus in May and June will be on getting the Patriots ready for another season.
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New England was one of the most surprising teams of the 2025 season, winning the AFC for the first time since 2018 before losing Super Bowl 60 to the Seattle Seahawks. Nevertheless, it was a positive season for the franchise.
The next steps for Russini are unclear. She has deleted her Instagram account, and her next professional steps are unclear following her leave from The Athletic.
