Now that the NFL Draft has concluded, every day goes by with more and more information and drama regarding the inappropriate relationship between New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini.
There’s speculation that Russini stirred drama to help Vrabel and the Patriots become the frontrunners in the potential trade for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. However, could there be any punishment for this?
Potential Outcome of Mike Vrabel’s Alleged Relationship With Dianna Russini
What started with pictures of the two at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, has quickly spiraled into a complete mess for Vrabel, Russini, and, by association, the Patriots.
It’s more than abundantly clear that the two have had an alleged relationship for at least six years, which also raises questions about potential tampering, what some might refer to as the Diannagate.
It all dates back to Vrabel’s time with the Tennessee Titans, when the team was looking to add wide receiver threat Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. Coincidentally, Russini reported on the situation, saying that Atlanta had been offered a first-round pick for Jones and that the Titans were a long shot to land him.
Yet the Falcons weren’t offered a first-rounder, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio argued that doing so effectively “chilled” the market, making other teams disinterested in talking to the Falcons because they didn’t want to compete with that offer. After that false reporting, Vrabel and the Titans were able to land Jones at a discount – a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder.
Now, he wonders the same thing about the Brown situation, saying, “Given the relationship between Vrabel and Russini, it’s not crazy or reckless to wonder whether her reporting was directly or indirectly connected to the effort to help the Titans get Jones on the best possible terms. Which, of course, will bolster suspicions by Eagles fans that she had been working more recently with Vrabel to get Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the best possible terms.”
Russini was essentially the one who stirred up the drama between Brown and the Eagles in the first place. Better yet, she was even the first person to link Brown to the Patriots. Coincidence? Or was she doing a favor for her “friend” Vrabel?
To top it all off, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Eagles were open to trading Brown, with New England as the likely destination. According to PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metric, last season, he ranked 21st among receivers in the league with an impact score of 80.9.
So with that, could the Patriots be punished?
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At this point, it’s likely the Patriots won’t be punished for Diannagate because the league and commissioner Roger Goodell have declared it as a “personal matter,” not a “personal conduct policy.”
The only way the league would ever get involved and the Patriots could be punished is if they looked into whether Russini and Vrabel colluded to affect trade talks. As of now, they seem to be in the clear, but as the story continues to develop, it could change at any time.
