Why NFL insider says there’s a ‘public thirst’ for Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini scandal

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport knows exactly why there is pique interest in the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini scandal.

“I don’t blame the media. I really don’t because the public thirst is there,” the NFL Network journalist told the Between the Tackles podcast. “The media isn’t getting people interested [in this story], they’re already interested in it. They’re feeding the beast.”

Rapoport continued, “Watching this play out in public is much sadder than I ever anticipated. I would not wish anybody to go through what everyone involved in this is going through.”

Vrabel and Russini made headlines last month when photographs of them were published by the New York Post of them at an Arizona resort holding hands. The couple are married to other people, with the New England Patriots coach having been married to Jen Vrabel since 1999. The Vrabel’s also have two sons together. Russini, on the other hand, got married in 2020 to Kevin Goldschmidt, an executive at Shake Shack. The former NFL insider and Goldschmidt also share two sons.

In the initial photos, Vrabel and Russini denied that it was anything more than a friendly interaction. They also claimed that they were a part of two separate groups of friends. However, three other eyewitnesses told Page Six that they did not see anyone else with them.

After the initial photos came to light, more pics of the two allegedly kissing at a New York City bar in 2020 and in 2024 at a casino after his firing from the Tennessee Titans. They also allegedly rented a private boat together in Tennessee when Russini was pregnant with her first child.

Since then, Vrabel has broken his silence in regards to the scandal in a press conference ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about: my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” he said. “Those have been positive and productive. We believe in order to be successful on and off the field you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of distraction. What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward.”

Vrabel is looking to kick off his second season as the Patriots head coach in the fall and Russini has since resigned from her position at The Athletic last month.

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