Patriots’ Kevin Byard calls Mike Vrabel ‘same old guy’ as Dianna Russini scandal swirls

Over the last few weeks, the New England Patriots’ offseason has been overshadowed by a scandal involving head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini. Reports first emerged of an alleged affair between the two when photos were released showing them getting cozy at an exclusive adults-only hotel in Arizona, and since then, more photos and videos have been unearthed that have further fueled the fire.

This offseason, one of the Patriots’ acquisitions in free agency was cornerback Kevin Byard, who played for the Chicago Bears last year but worked with Vrabel when they were both members of the Tennessee Titans’ organization.

He understandably kept things tight-lipped when asked if he’s noticed anything different about Vrabel nowadays amid the scandal.

“Same old guy… I don’t see a difference whatsoever,” said Byard, per Mark Daniels of MassLive on X, formerly Twitter.

Not long after the story broke, Russini resigned from her position as a reporter at The Athletic, with her contract having been due to expire coming up over the summer, and it’s unclear what future there might be, if any, as a professional sports reporter moving forward.

Over the last couple of weeks, photos have been released showing Russini and Vrabel kissing at a bar in New York City as far back as six years ago, and the pair were also videotaped getting on a boat together in Tennessee, at a point when Russini was visibly pregnant.

At this point, Vrabel’s job does not appear to be in jeopardy with the Patriots, but the story has certainly been a highly unwelcome distraction for New England in an offseason where the focus was supposed to be building off last year’s surprise run to the Super Bowl.

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