Mike and Jen Vrabel flew to Park City, Utah for an emergency 24-hour marriage summit. It comes just days after Page Six published exclusive photos of the former athlete getting cozy with NFL reporter Deanna Russini at a bar in 2020.
At around 4pm local time on Sunday, April 26th, the New England Patriots head coach and his wife enjoyed dinner at an upscale restaurant at a Park City hotel.
“They were friendly and talkative, but not overly flirtatious,” a source exclusively told Page Six, noting that the couple “talked” and ate for about an hour and a half. “They seemed to be in good spirits. They were friendly and ate as usual.”
The elegant restaurant, located in a four-star hotel owned by Marriott, serves several gourmet dishes, from the $123 Porterhouse for two to the $165 Tomahawk Ribeye. Specialty appetizers are also available, from seared yellowfin tuna ($24) to piping hot crab cakes ($32) and veal osso buco ($21).
Mike was photographed arriving at Salt Lake City International Airport on Saturday, April 25th. The flight occurred during the NFL Draft, as Mike previously announced he would miss the third day of the important annual player selection meeting in Boston to undergo counseling.
Mike is believed to have flown from Utah to Boston on Sunday, April 26th, to return to work with the Patriots on Monday, April 27th. Barstool owner Dave Portnoy reported that Mike attended a Q&A with Patriots season ticket holders upon his return and was greeted with a standing ovation from fans.
Meanwhile, Jen reportedly flew into Salt Lake City from her home in Nashville on Saturday, April 25th, and left the country on Tuesday, April 28th.
Park City, Utah has always been a special destination for the couple. Mike said in a 2025 interview with The Athletic that he owns a vacation home there and likes to ski and celebrate holidays there.
Page Six previously reported that Mike kept a low profile by wearing a baseball cap, down vest, long-sleeved shirt, backpack and wedding ring as he arrived at SLC Airport for a short trip.
As seen in the exclusive photo, he shopped at the Hip & Humble store inside the airport, where he presumably bought a blue loungewear set for his wife. Mike is said to have pulled items from the shelves and walked briskly to the register to check out.
According to photos obtained by TMZ, Jen was seen browsing the same Hip & Humble airport store on Tuesday, April 28, before heading to the Delta Sky Club before her flight home. She was still wearing her wedding ring.
Mike and Jen’s trip comes after Page Six exclusively obtained photos of the former Patriots linebacker, 50, and Russini, 43, holding hands and hugging each other at the Ambiente Resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28.
The two were spotted hanging out on the private rooftop of the hotel’s $2,160-a-night two-person bungalow. They took in breathtaking views of the Bullins Mesa Mountains, at one point performing a short dance, and were also photographed enjoying the pool area and soaking in the hot tub.
Another exclusive photo published by Page Six on April 22 showed Mike and the sports reporter having breakfast on a hotel patio.
Mike and Russini claimed to Page Six that friends were accompanying them on the trip at the time, even though multiple witnesses said no one else was with them.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” the coach said in a statement. “I don’t deserve any further response.”
In a separate statement, Russini added, “The photo does not represent the group of six people hanging out together during the day. Like most journalists, in the NFL, reporters interact with sources far away from stadiums and other venues.”
The Athletic, where Mr. Russini once worked as one of its top sports officials, initially supported him in a statement to Page Six. She officially resigned on April 14, a few days after the first photo set was published.
“This media frenzy is proceeding at breakneck speed in disregard of the review process The Athletic is completing. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks. I have no intention of responding to a public investigation that has already caused more damage than I am willing to accept,” she explained in her resignation letter.
“Rather than continue this, I have decided to step aside before my current contract expires on June 30th. I do so not because I accept the narrative built around this episode, but because I refuse to give it any more oxygen or let it define me or my career.”
The Athletic has begun an investigation into the matter, which is still ongoing. The paper’s editor-in-chief, Stephen Ginsburg, reportedly addressed the scandal Wednesday when he spoke to staff at the first all-hands meeting since Russini’s resignation.
Meanwhile, during an April 21 press conference ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Mike broke his silence on the scandal, saying he had “difficult” but “positive” conversations about the issue with loved ones, including his family.
The next day, he told ESPN that he would miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft to receive counseling.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization, and this team that I would give them the best possible version of myself,” he said. “In order to do that, I have committed to counseling starting this weekend. This is something I have thought about a lot and if I were going to do counseling it would be something I would advise players to do.”
On April 23rd, Page Six published another exclusive photo. This time, Russini and Mike are pictured relaxing at Tribeca Tavern in New York City in the early morning hours of March 11, 2020.
The photo showed the two sitting close together in a dimly lit bar, and at one point the former Tennessee Titans coach appeared to lean in for a kiss.
“They were kissing and crazy about each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six. “He was wearing a ring.”
The two were “very close” throughout the outing, the source said, noting that they were at the “Hole in the Wall” bar around midnight and stayed there for at least an hour.
“They were having a great time. They were constantly hanging out, on and off,” the source said. “There was no one there. No one knew who they were. I don’t think even the bartender knew.”
At the time the 2020 photo was taken, Mike was the head coach of the Titans and Russini was working as an NFL reporter for ESPN, which declined to comment on whether it had opened an investigation.
Mike was already married at the time, but Russini married her current husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, six months later. Both have two children with their respective partners.
Russini and Mike did not comment on the 2020 photo when contacted by Page Six.
