More footage of the years-long dynamic between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter Dianna Russini is coming to light with a video of the pair taking a private boat trip five years ago.
Vrabel and Russini — who was pregnant with her first child at the time — were captured walking together on a dock before getting on a boat that they had privately rented for two to three hours in Putnam County, Tennessee, in June 2021, according to TMZ.
The pair were dressed casually for the outing, which took place while Russini was reporting for ESPN and doing a story on the Tennessee Titans, where Vrabel was head coach at the time. Two months later, Russini gave birth to her first son with husband Kevin Goldschmidt.
Vrabel posed for pictures with employees at the boat rental company, but reportedly asked them not to share pictures from the day because he “wanted to enjoy a private weekend,” TMZ previously reported. The outlet noted that Russini refused to take any pictures. The Independent has contacted representatives for Vrabel and Russini for comment.
The resurfaced footage from the boat dock comes after Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, became embroiled in scrutiny last month when photos emerged of the two holding hands and hugging at a luxury Arizona resort in March.
Later, more pictures surfaced that appeared to show the pair kissing at a New York City tavern in March 2020 — months before Russini married Goldschmidt, with whom she welcomed a second son in October 2022. Vrabel and his wife, Jen, have been married since 1999 and have two sons together.
Other pictures also came to light showing the two together at a casino in 2024.
Russini has since resigned from her role at The Athletic, where she closely followed Vrabel’s team. She has stayed silent about the matter. The New York Times, which owns the sports outlet, is currently conducting an internal investigation into the situation.
Vrabel initially shrugged off the accusations and called them “laughable.” However, as more photos surfaced, he addressed the situation with reporters ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and said he would skip part of the NFL draft in order to attend counseling.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” he said April 22. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
He did not specifically mention Russini or the pictures in his statement. Neither party has directly addressed the nature of their relationship publicly.
