The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini situation has become the story that won’t leave the 2026 NFL Draft alone. What started with Page Six publishing photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former Athletic senior NFL reporter Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging at an Arizona resort on April 7 has since become one of the most talked-about off-field stories in recent league history.
Russini resigned from The Athletic as the outlet launched an internal investigation. Vrabel, in a statement acquired by ESPN this past week, announced he would skip Day 3 of the draft to begin counseling, a decision the Patriots organization publicly supported.
Albert Breer Details How Mike Vrabel Has Changed After Recent Controversy
Vrabel addressed reporters roughly an hour before the first round Thursday evening, acknowledging he has had difficult conversations with his family, the coaching staff, and his players. He declined to commit to a timeline for returning to his full duties, saying only that his family’s needs come first.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, speaking on “98.5 The Sports Hub,” revealed how the Patriots head coach has changed since the whole situation escalated.
“I can just tell you factually, he has not been the same [for] the last two weeks in that building,” Breer said. “The sense I’ve gotten talking to people is like that bravado and everything else. I think this has taken a chunk out of that, you know? Like, I really like Mike personally, I’ve known him a long time, I covered him as a player… I think like deep down he’s a good guy with a good heart who’s done a lot of good things for people and wants to do good things for people and has done right by a lot of people.”
Breer noted that although the situation is very disturbing, it is better for the Patriots that it happened now rather than before training camp or right around the season.
“I would say, like to me, what you don’t want is that version of Mike Vrabel walking around for the next six weeks until summer, and then we’ll see what happens when he gets back,” Breer continued. “You want to find a way to get the full Mike Vrabel back, and to me that’s the most important thing.”
Vrabel is known as a charismatic coach who gets players to believe in him and fight for him. That was evident in how he transformed the Patriots in just one season, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance.
“The swagger, all of that, like to me, that’s such a big part of who Mike is,” Breer added. “That’s such a big part of how he gets people on board with him, and I think the players will have his back.”
The whole situation worsened Thursday afternoon when Page Six published additional photos from March 2020, showing Vrabel and Russini at a New York City bar during his tenure as Titans head coach. Witnesses told the outlet the two appeared to be kissing.
Hours later, TMZ released a separate image from a Mississippi casino in January 2024, weeks after Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans.
Russini has also deactivated her X account, and her career as one of the NFL’s most prominent insiders, spanning more than a decade between ESPN and The Athletic, appears to be over in its current form.
Vrabel, by contrast, retains the full backing of the Patriots and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who confirmed Thursday that the matter does not fall under the league’s personal conduct policy.
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As for the draft, the Patriots have so far selected three players to bolster their AFC-winning roster. First, they improved their offensive line by drafting offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round. Then they selected defensive end Gabe Jacas in the second round and tight end Eli Raridon in the third.
Moreover, the Patriots are also expected to complete a trade for A.J. Brown in June, as the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Makai Lemon in the first round to potentially replace the star wideout with whom they won a Super Bowl.
