Dave Portnoy has admitted that he was ‘afraid’ to approach Mike Vrabel at a recent celebrity softball game, after commenting on his affair scandal with Dianna Russini.
The alleged affair between Russini and Vrabel has been the biggest story in the NFL for over a month ever since Page Six published images of the two at an adults-only resort in Arizona.
Since then, more images have been released as the scandal continues to evolve each week. It led to Russini’s eventual resignation from The Athletic after the company launched an investigation into her actions.
Portnoy was among those who commented on the saga at the time and recently revealed, because of that, he felt he shouldn’t approach the embattled Patriots coach.
Asked if he spoke to Vrabel at Drake Maye’s Celebrity Softball Game on the weekend, Portnoy told Barstool’s YouTube channel: ‘No, I did not. I was afraid to go up to him.
‘I do have a relationship with him in the past [but] I have no idea what he’s seen, what I’ve said,’ the Barstool Sports boss explained.
Dave Portnoy has admitted that he was ‘afraid’ to approach Mike Vrabel at a recent celebrity softball game, after commenting on his affair scandal with Dianna Russini
Russini and Vrabel have known each other since her time at ESPN and his with the Titans
Portnoy also lifted the lid on how Vrabel was received at the event. ‘I mean, it was like a locker room environment. He was totally normal and got a very big standing ovation’.
Asked again as to whether he spoke to Vrabel, Portnoy continued: ‘I saw him. He seemed like he was in good spirits. Normal interaction with all the players’.
On May 27, in light of the drama, Vrabel declared his love for his wife Jen and their two adult sons while speaking to the media for the first time since stepping away from the team for family counseling.
‘I appreciate my family, I love Jen, I love the boys [Tyler and Carter], I love my personal friends,’ Vrabel said when asked about his work-life balance – something he’s been addressing amid the ongoing Dianna Russini scandal.
He was also asked about his efforts to mitigate distractions from the scandal, but instead focused his answer on the team: ‘We all have to deal with things outside of here… My focus, and obviously the excitement that I have for coaching, is what is most important right now, and this is a great opportunity.’
The 50-year-old had not briefed reporters since the recent NFL Draft, when he finally addressed rumors of an affair with Russini without explicitly admitting to adultery. Vrabel later took leave from the Patriots on Day 3 of the draft to attend that counseling session with his family.
Asked if he could conceivably take another leave of absence to address his family concerns, Vrabel sidestepped the question to insist he’s only focused on ‘today.’
‘I’m gonna be out there in full force,’ Vrabel said before attending the Patriots’ organized team activities (OTAs) in Foxborough.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel declared his love for his wife Jen and their two adult sons while speaking to the media on Wednesday before organized team activities
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, for over two decades and they have two children
The controversy erupted in March when the New York Post published suggestive photos of Vrabel fraternizing with Russini at a $2,500-a-night, adults-only retreat in Arizona.
While the married Russini has denied any wrongdoing and stood by her reporting on Vrabel, she was later placed on leave at The Athletic before ultimately submitting her resignation to the website’s parent company, The New York Times.
In April, the Post published pictures purportedly showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in Manhattan in March of 2020. Russini married Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt in September of that year and has since given birth to his two sons.
The Daily Mail has also published photos of Vrabel and a pregnant Russini renting a boat on a Tennessee lake in 2021, when he was coaching the Titans and she was reporting on the team for ESPN.
