Did the Vikings Actually Reference the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Controversy?
The Vikings themed their 2026 schedule-release video around the kitchen of an upscale restaurant, with chefs preparing 17 dishes representing each game on the schedule. Since Minnesota will travel to face the New England Patriots in Week 14, social media users quickly speculated that the team had slipped in a subtle jab related to the Vrabel-Russini saga.
A user named @its_just_tony shared what appeared to be a screenshot from the video showing the Vikings’ Week 14 recipe featuring “1 tsp of Russini juice.” The image quickly gained traction online, racking up more than 1.5 million views and over 13,000 likes at the time of writing.
However, the graphic was fake. The actual recipe shown in the original video reads:
“2 sticks of butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 T corn starch, 1 tsp of baking soda, and 1 tsp of salt.”
this is fake. here’s what the original video shows: https://t.co/Bt6EeQ4NMP pic.twitter.com/dqrLqPZdH2
— za (@cricketryyy) May 15, 2026
While the Vikings did not reference the controversy, the Chargers clearly did so in their Halo-themed schedule release video. During a preview of their Week 12 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Patriots, the video briefly displayed the phrase: “Next Photo Dump: 1 Mile.”
A graphic also pops up that says: “NYPost sent you a message.”
For those who haven’t been keeping up, it was the New York Post that initially broke the news of the Vrabel-Russini scandal, publishing photos of the pair at a resort in Arizona. Toward the end, there’s also a joke about a deleted playlist, which is a subtle reference to the Vrabel-Russini saga.
Page Six followed up later with photos of Vrabel and Russini together at a New York City bar back in March 2020, when Vrabel was working as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans while Russini was a reporter with ESPN.
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Additional footage later surfaced showing the pair together on a boat trip while Russini was pregnant with her first child.
Vrabel has been married to Jennifer Vrabel for 27 years, while Russini has been married to her husband for nearly six years. Both couples also have two children.
The Patriots’ head coach has reportedly since sought counseling and even missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft, while Russini has resigned from her job.
