{"id":860497,"date":"2026-04-08T07:53:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T07:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860497\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T07:53:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T07:53:29","slug":"patriots-hc-mike-vrabel-russini-speak-out-against-hotel-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860497\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots HC Mike Vrabel, Russini speak out against hotel photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL<\/a> offseason may be approaching the 2026 NFL Draft, but players and coaches still have some downtime. Teams have begun voluntary workouts as they ramp up for offseason camps.<\/p>\n

The New England Patriots are aiming to return to the Super Bowl after their loss in Super Bowl LX. Head coach Mike Vrabel led the team\u2019s remarkable turnaround season.<\/p>\n

He enjoyed a successful first season with the Patriots and now appears to be enjoying some new, more personal company.<\/p>\n

MORE: New York Giants\u2019 star defender Dexter Lawrence salary demands revealed<\/a><\/p>\n

Reports<\/a> have surfaced that Vrabel was spotted spending time with someone new. That person? Top New York Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini.<\/p>\n

\"\"Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel walks on field before Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi\u2019s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Is it romance or a misunderstanding?<\/p>\n

Photos published by the New York Post show the two holding hands, hugging, and swimming together. They were seen at a luxury hotel near Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Some have already called the release of the photos intrusive. Unfortunately, that comes with being in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

However, Russini appears to dispute that anything romantic is happening. She released<\/a> a public statement indicating the gathering was nothing more than an innocent group outing.<\/p>\n

MORE: New York Giants get big update on star receiver Malik Nabers<\/a><\/p>\n

\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 Russini said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Feb 7, 2022; Westlake Village, CA, USA; ESPN reporter Dianna Russini at Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LVI Opening Night at Oaks Christian High School. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Vrabel also responded when asked about the interaction. \u201cThese photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn\u2019t deserve any further response.\u201d Vrabel said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report states that Russini and two female friends were on a hiking trip. Coincidentally, Vrabel and two male friends also traveled to the same luxury hotel.<\/p>\n

While Vrabel and Russini have both made their positions clear, multiple reports have created mixed perceptions. Regardless, it is important to remember that both figures in the football world are married.<\/p>\n

Vrabel has been married to Jen Vrabel since 1999, and Russini married her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, in 2020. It may simply have been a misunderstanding \u2014 two friends spending time together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL offseason may be approaching the 2026 NFL Draft, but players and coaches still have some downtime.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2050],"tags":[6164,7,838,1167,249,2326,2094,6,208],"class_list":{"0":"post-860497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-england-patriots","8":"tag-dianna-russini","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-mike-vrabel","11":"tag-new-england","12":"tag-new-england-patriots","13":"tag-newengland","14":"tag-newenglandpatriots","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-patriots"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116368012033729592","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860497","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=860497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}