Kissing photos, a resignation, an apology gift… The scandal between New England Patriots head coach and reporter Dianna Russini has been the NFL offseason’s biggest rollercoaster.
With no games to distract from the controversy, the football community is neck-deep in the scandal, digging up anything that could be of interest from the two NFL figures’ pasts. Now, a Spotify playlist has taken center stage.
Mike Vrabel’s Practice Songs Have a Lot of Connections To Dianna Russini’s Spotify Playlist
Back when Vrabel was still coaching the Tennessee Titans in 2022, Russini allegedly sent the coach a Spotify playlist after a four-game losing streak. Named “Turnin’ The Page,” she shared the playlist with a user called “Mike.”
After the playlist went viral, the username was changed to “Tycar,” which is noteworthy given that Vrabel’s sons are named Tyler and Carter. Shortly after, the playlist was deleted altogether. For internet sleuths, this felt like confirmation that this was the pair’s playlist, but only Russini and Vrabel know for certain.
Now, these same internet sleuths are also connecting some dots and realizing that Vrabel may have played Russini’s playlist during a Titans practice.
Jared Stillman found an old article from Titans writer Jim Wyatt about a special playlist that Vrabel played during Tennessee’s practice on his birthday.
“On Mike Vrabel’s birthday, the playlist was designed to please the head coach, and I must admit, it pleased me as well,” the article reads. “During the practice session, there was plenty of rock and country music blaring through the speakers… Def Leppard, Guns N ‘ Roses… Motley Crue… Styx… Luke Combs… The head coach was spotted dancing a bit to ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ at the start.”
As Chase Snyder noted, many of these artists appear on Russini’s playlist, including Guns N’ Roses, Styx, Def Leppard, and Mötley Crüe. Is it possible Vrabel was playing music from Russini’s playlist during practice?
Thanks to Jared, this was the 8/14/2023 Titans training camp playlist highlights. Mentioned is Guns N Roses (dancing to Welcome to The Jungle), Styx’s Renegade, Def Leppard, and Mötley Crüe.
On the Russini/“Mike” playlist created in December 2022, all of those were added. https://t.co/3olO4u3Jav pic.twitter.com/1eDz3CnFhH
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) April 28, 2026
Legendary broadcaster Jim Rome weighed in on the situation and whether Vrabel actually played her playlist at practice.
“Maybe the most painful part of this playlist saga was when the sleuths also uncovered an article describing some songs that Vrabel put on in a Titans practice, which included songs off the same playlist,” Rome said. “So of course the sleuths figured that Vrabel actually played her playlist, at least in part, at a Titans practice, which sounds crazy. But not nearly as crazy as any of the rest of this.”
Only Vrabel knows for certain whether he was playing Russini’s playlist or if this was a separate playlist that just happened to feature a lot of the same bands.
But this saga just keeps getting stranger and stranger, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, especially since information seems to be surfacing every day (thanks in large part to the aforementioned internet sleuths).
