An old interview of Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel showed the pair comfortably sitting together on camera before their alleged affair became public to the NFL world
16:47 ET, 09 May 2026
Mike Vrabel
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Mike Vrabel prepares for his second season with the Patriots(Image: Getty Images)
The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini alleged affair story continues to dominate the 2026 NFL offseason, even after Russini stepped down from her post at The Athletic.
After Page Six released photos together of the pair at a romantic resort in Arizona, a slew of other photos — including some at a bar in New York from 2020, at a casino in Mississippi in 2021, and on a private boat in Tennessee from 2021 — poured more fuel on the fire of a potential extramarital affair.
Russini covered Vrabel, now coach of the New England Patriots, as a beat reporter for the Tennessee Titans while at ESPN when Vrabel was their head coach. Russini sat down with Vrabel ahead of the 2025 NFL Season for her show Scoop City.
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The 23-minute video, titled Scoop City: Patriots Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye share HOW this new era is different in New England, appeared to feature a certain amount of flirtiness.
Judi James, a body language expert and the author of 26 books, spoke exclusively with Mirror U.S. Sports and poured cold water on any tension from the August 2025 video.
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“There's probably nothing unusual about the body language in this clip," she explained.
"Russini looks open and confident, using affirmation signals to get a good interview out of Vrable. She adopts a relaxed pose with her legs crossed and her arms splayed onto the arms of the chair.
“Russini uses a lot of eye contact here and indulges in a lot of face-watching with positive affirmation responses as Vrabel speaks."
Dianna Russini
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Dianna Russini left her job at The Athletic in April(Image: Getty Images)
“He looks less relaxed here, glancing in her direction rather than using a lot of eye contact," James added.
"His torso leans away slightly, and there is a point in the interview where he dips his head and picks at his thumb to hint at some awkwardness which, given their professional roles, might be natural.”
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Both Russini and Vrabel released swift statements to Page Six after their Arizona photos, attempting to pour cold water on any alleged wrongdoing between the pair.
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Russini stepped down from her job at The Athletic in an open letter shortly after. Vrabel only made another public statement hours before a further batch of pictures showed him kissing Russini at a New York bar.
He missed Day Three of the NFL Draft to start counseling before returning to the Patriots to help the team get ready for the 2026 season.