Dianna Russini has been left ‘shellshocked’ by the Mike Vrabel scandal and is focusing on protecting her children amid the chaos, a source has told the Daily Mail.
The sports reporter, 43, stepped down from her job at The Athletic earlier this month amid bombshell allegations that she had an affair with Vrabel, 50. The pair, who are both married with children, have denied the allegations.
Page Six ignited the firestorm by publishing pictures of Russini fraternizing with the New England Patriots head coach at a $2,500-a-night adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28.
They can be seen hugging, lounging poolside and laughing together at the retreat in the images, and they were also spotted having breakfast ‘alone’ that same morning. Other photos have since emerged appearing to show the pair looking cozy at a New York bar back in 2020, when Vrabel was the coach of the Tennessee Titans.
While Vrabel has issued a groveling apology to his family and agreed to seek counseling over the scandal, Russini’s only public comment was the statement she gave after leaving The Athletic, in which she denied the allegations.
And according to an insider, she is still trying to work her way through what has been a ‘very intense’ few weeks.
Dianna Russini has been left ‘shellshocked’ by the Mike Vrabel scandal and is focusing on her protecting her children amid the chaos, a source has told the Daily Mail
The sports reporter, 43, stepped down from her job at The Athletic amid claims she had an affair with New England Patriots head coach Vrabel
‘Dianna is a bit shellshocked by it all and has not really shown her hand in all of this, as it has been a very intense situation that she is still trying to figure out and feel out,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
‘She’s neither here nor there right now as the dust hasn’t settled one bit. Nobody including herself knows what the next move for her will be.
‘One thing she is mainly focusing on is being a mom and to protect her kids through all of this madness.’
As the Daily Mail previously reported, the New York Times – the parent company of The Athletic – launched an investigation into the photos when contacted by Page Six after the Russini-Vrabel interaction in Sedona.
She was later placed on leave, the Daily Mail learned, before ultimately resigning from her position. Her contract was reportedly set to expire at the end of June.
A bombshell ESPN report claimed Russini was given the chance to clear her name by the Times, yet she failed to do so.
‘I do so [resign] not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career,’ she said in her exit statement. ‘I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published.
‘When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.’
Vrabel, meanwhile, has the full support of the Patriots after starting counseling over the weekend.
In an emotional press conference last week, he admitted he had been forced to have some ‘difficult conversations’ with his family about the Russini scandal.
According to our source, the New England coach also feels remorse over Russini’s situation after she quit her job at The Athletic.
‘Mike feels terrible on many levels, especially since Dianna’s career is pretty much over, and that blood is on his hands,’ the source said. ‘He feels terrible that he is responsible and that she may never be able to work again.’
Russini is now focusing on protecting her children through the chaos of the Vrabel scandal, an insider said
Vrabel admitted he’s been forced to have ‘difficult conversations with people I care about’
They continued: ‘There happens to be so many emotions going through him right now that for whatever counseling he is taking part in will be a continued situation for the foreseeable future. All of this is not going to be fixed overnight. He has to get on the right page with himself, and everyone involved, and that is easier said than done, and we are currently on the bottom of that mountain.
‘He has a lot of climbing to do to get to the top of the mountain and on level footing. He’s hoping that the saying time heals all wounds is true. He’s resting his beliefs on that right now and drowning himself in work.’
In a statement last week, the Patriots threw their support behind Vrabel and commended his decision to ‘prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being’ after agreeing to start counseling.
However, that hasn’t stopped owner Robert Kraft from eyeing up potential replacements should the situation become untenable.
‘The Krafts are extremely loyal and have no intention of firing Mike, nor do they want to see him quit over all this drama,’ the insider explained.
‘But if these upcoming few months go haywire, and if they are put in a situation of no return, either with the team not doing well or the drama of Mike’s family issues taking over and forcing a decision on Mike’s coaching future, the one person that they would seek to replace him would be Mike Tomlin.’
However, if Tomlin did not want to return to coaching after his TV stint, the source continued, the team might consider coach Josh McDaniels to be Vrabel’s replacement.
‘But that is a situation that they don’t even want to consider after initial thoughts,’ the insider said.
‘The Krafts will ride it out with Mike Vrabel till the wheels fall off. They are very much interested in putting all of this in the rearview.’
