New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at training camp after offseason drama involving Dianna Russini.
Eric Canha-Imagn Images.
The story of the offseason has been New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and his scandal involving ex-NFL insider Dianna Russini.
Going into the regular season, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach and current NBC Sports analyst Mike Tomlin warned Vrabel about how important winning is to the team amid the distractions. The Russini drama may not die down, but winning heals all wounds.
“When games start, winning matters. So if they get off to a fast start, they've got a chance to quiet some of that noise,” Tomlin said. “If they don't, that noise could get extremely loud.”
The NBC 'Football Night in America' crew addresses the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini situation and its impact on the Patriots at halftime of the Hall of Fame Game. pic.twitter.com/Nzep7pBxy3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 7, 2026
This came as the NBC Sports crew was breaking down the Super Bowl rematch in Week 1 between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
Devin McCourty, who previously spent his entire 13-year career with the Patriots, albeit under Bill Belichick, talked about the “impact” of the scandal on the season. The Patriots look up to Vrabel in times of desperation, but McCourty wonders if they still will after his “character's been tested.”
“They look to him when things get tough. Do they still feel the same way? His character's been tested. Will this team follow him wherever he goes? That's gonna be tested right away Week 1.”
Patriots' Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini's offseason scandal
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches over practice during training camp at Gillette Stadium.
Eric Canha-Imagn Images
In April 2026, pictures emerged of Vrabel and Russini at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. They showed them hugging and holding hands, causing a stir.
For one, the two are both married to other people. It also raised the issue of a conflict of interest in Russini's reporting. She had been The Athletic's lead NFL insider since 2023. While she would resign, she covered the NFL, which includes the Patriots.
After the first photos were published, an onslaught of pictures and videos from over the years emerged. The earliest pictures date back to March 2020, when they were photographed kissing in a New York City bar. These were taken a few months before she got married to Kevin Goldschmidt, a Shake Shack executive.