{"id":859923,"date":"2026-04-08T00:32:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/859923\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T00:32:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:32:15","slug":"new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/859923\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots\u2019 Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exclusive photos obtained by Page Six appear to show the New England Patriots<\/a>\u2018 head coach Mike Vrabel and the New York Times\u2019 top NFL reporter holding hands and hugging at a luxurious hotel.<\/p>\n

Vrabel and Dianna Russini<\/a> \u2014 a former anchor on ESPN\u2019s flagship \u201cSportsCenter\u201d who now holds the official title of \u201csenior NFL insider\u201d at the Gray Lady\u2019s sports publication, the Athletic \u2014 were spotted two weekends ago at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, a boutique resort set against the breathtaking Brins Mesa mountain range.<\/p>\n

Top New York Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel were snapped on what appears to be the roof of a private bungalow at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Arizona. \u00a9 Page Six<\/p>\n

The pair embraced as they took in the sunset views of the Brins Mesa mountain range. \u00a9 Page Six<\/p>\n

Spies said that Vrabel and Russini appeared to be visiting the hotel without anyone else in their group. \u00a9 New York Post<\/p>\n

A Page Six spy tells us that the pair \u2014 both married to other people \u2014 had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.<\/p>\n

Our spy spotted Vrabel and Russini again that evening on the private rooftop of one of the hotel\u2019s bungalows, which feature glass walls offering panoramic views of the state\u2019s famed Red Rock formations.<\/p>\n

Roofs are only accessible from the two-person bungalows, which cost up to $2,160 a night.<\/p>\n

Photos show the two hugging at sunset, and weaving their fingers together as they stand face-to-face. The spy said they saw the pair briefly dance together.<\/p>\n

Vrabel and Russini relaxed in the boutique hotel\u2019s pool and hot tub after breakfast. \u00a9 Page Six<\/p>\n

They spent about an hour and a half around the pool on Saturday morning, we\u2019re told.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re told Russini, here by the hotel pool, and Vrabel left the area separately. \u00a9 Page Six<\/p>\n

Vrabel seemed in an easygoing mood, according to fellow guests. \u00a9 Page Six<\/p>\n

Both Russini and Vrabel insist they were there with friends and say they simply weren\u2019t visible in the pictures. A source close to Russini says she was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two female pals. One of Vrabel\u2019s friends told Page Six that they and the coach drove up to Sedona for the day with another pal and that they all drove back to their own hotel, some two hours away, after hanging out with Russini and her gang.<\/p>\n

But three other eyewitnesses told us that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43. Asked if the Pats coach visited the hotel with a group of friends, one eyewitness said: \u201cNo, he was with a girl.\u201d And our sequence of photographs taken at various points during the day show only Vrabel and Russini.<\/p>\n

Vrabel attended a scouting event at Arizona State University in Tempe on Friday, March 27, before traveling 125 miles to the Ambiente. <\/p>\n

The adults-only Ambiente prides itself on being a romantic getaway, boasting on its website about the 158 proposals that took place and the thousands of anniversaries and honeymoons that have been celebrated at the hotel.<\/p>\n

After being seen with Russini, Vrabel headed to the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix for a meeting of the NFL Competition Committee<\/a>, a group of owners and coaches who oversee the game\u2019s rulebook.<\/p>\n

Russini has been married to Shake Shack exec Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020. Dianna Russini\/Instagram<\/p>\n

The former linebacker has been married to Jen Vrabel since 1999. Here the couple poses with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his wife, Dr. Dana Blumberg. Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Roc Nation<\/p>\n

Russini was among many NFL reporters at the Biltmore\u00a0on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week when media had access to owners, executives and coaches.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Athletic published a dispatch about the Biltmore meetings<\/a> written by Russini and Jacob Robinson.<\/p>\n

Russini has been one of the more prominent football reporters in the country for more than a decade and routinely covers the Patriots as part of the gig.<\/p>\n

She joined \u201cSportsCenter\u201d in 2015 and has appeared on ESPN\u2019s popular \u201cNFL Countdown\u201d and \u201cNFL Live\u201d shows.<\/p>\n

Russini, here at the Fanatics Super Bowl party in February, is the host of the podcast \u201cScoop City: Inside the NFL.\u201d Getty Images for Fanatics<\/p>\n

She was born in The Bronx and now lives in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

In 2023, she joined the Athletic, the once-independent site that was acquired by the Times and now provides the paper\u2019s sports coverage. Russini hosts its \u201cScoop City: Inside the NFL\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n

Vrabel, who played eight seasons as a linebacker for the Patriots, took over as the team\u2019s top coach in January 2025<\/a> and stunned the league by taking the team to the Super Bowl<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

The six-time Super Bowl-winning Patriots are ranked by Forbes as the fourth most valuable team in the NFL, worth around $9 billion with an annual revenue of $762 million. Vrabel is believed to earn around $15 million a year.<\/p>\n

He and Russini go way back.<\/p>\n

Covering the Tennessee Titans was Russini\u2019s first NFL beat at ESPN. She was the network\u2019s boots on the ground in Nashville by the time Vrabel came in as head coach in 2018.<\/p>\n

Russini began covering Vrabel\u2019s career closely in 2018 when she was ESPN\u2019s Tennessee Titans beat reporter and he was the head coach. Dianna Russini\/Instagram<\/p>\n

\u201cThey went from being [a team] nobody thought about to Mike got them playing really well,\u201d she said of the 2018 Titans on the \u201cPatriots Unfiltered\u201d podcast in February. \u201cAnd then, of course, they went to the AFC championship game\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Russini weathered a controversy when the wife of the Washington Commanders (then the Redskins) GM Scot McCloughan publicly accused them of having an affair.<\/p>\n

After the reporter broke a story about Kirk Cousins\u00a0replacing\u00a0Robert Griffin III\u00a0as the Redskins\u2019 starting quarterback, Jessica McCloughan reportedly wrote on Twitter, \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure this info is coming from my husband to his new side chick, Dianna.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russini, above at the 2019 Espy Awards, has said that leaving ESPN was a difficult decision. WireImage<\/p>\n

Jessica deleted the tweet and her account and apologized to Russini.<\/p>\n

\u201cI deeply apologize for the disparaging remarks about an ESPN reporter on my personal Twitter account. The comment was unfounded and inappropriate, and I have the utmost respect for both the reporter and ESPN,\u201d she wrote at the time. <\/p>\n

\u201cI regret that my actions have brought undeserved negative attention to the Redskins organization and its leadership. My comments in no way reflect the opinions or attitudes of the organization and I regret that my behavior has in any way negatively impacted the team and its loyal fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n

ESPN also defended its reporter in a statement, saying, \u201cDianna is an excellent reporter who should never have to be subjected to such vulgar comments. We are obviously extremely disappointed by today\u2019s developments.\u201d<\/p>\n

It appears that after leaving their trip, Vrabel traveled to Phoenix for the NFL annual meeting, where he spoke with reporters. AP<\/p>\n

Vrabel was back at work this week at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. AP<\/p>\n

The expectations on Russini have been sky-high since she joined the Athletic.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTo think Dianna Russini will almost certainly make more money than Maggie Haberman or David Brooks\u2014 Times\u00a0legends \u2014 and, crazily, might earn more than them combined, is a sign of the strange sports journalism times we live in,\u201d NBC\u2019s Peter King wrote of her signing. \u201cStars who cover the NFL make crazy salaries compared to the money people make covering news that truly matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russini has talked about the pressure to lead the highly respected outlet\u2019s football coverage, especially the need to get close with the top figures in the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had so many people in football reach out and say, \u2018You\u2019re gonna drown unless you do this, this and this,’\u201d she said right before this year\u2019s Super Bowl. \u201cI actually had a head coach reach out to me in my first three months and say, \u2018How come you don\u2019t call me?\u2019 \u2026 His point was, \u2018Your competitors are calling me, so if you want to stay in this and do this at a high level, you\u2019re going to have to be more aggressive.\u2019 And I think I\u2019ve got a little more aggressive since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russini married Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020. They have two children.<\/p>\n

She marked their 2022 anniversary on Instagram, writing: \u201c2 years today was the best day of my life \u2014 when I married Kev in front of our family and dozens of friends over zoom! It\u2019s you and only you, for me, forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vrabel and wife Jen reportedly met as student athletes at Ohio State University and celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2024. They have two sons, one of whom, Tyler, briefly played for the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n

The coach told Page Six Tuesday, \u201cThese photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn\u2019t deserve any further response.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Russini told us, \u201cThe photos don\u2019t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of the Athletic, said: \u201cThese photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we\u2019re proud to have her at the Athletic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan and Ben Brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exclusive photos obtained by Page Six appear to show the New England Patriots\u2018 head coach Mike Vrabel and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2026],"tags":[375,439,12,4413,7,249,20473,9,203],"class_list":{"0":"post-859923","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-arizona","9":"tag-celebrity-news","10":"tag-espn","11":"tag-exclusive","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-new-england-patriots","14":"tag-new-york-times","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-sports-media"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116366276154732438","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}