After his scandal with Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel’s married life seems to be business as usual.
When asked at Wednesday’s New England Patriots press conference how he was dealing with balancing football and family, he said things were “really good.”
“I’m grateful that my family is amazing. I love Jen (Vrabel) and I love my kids,” he said of his wife and two sons. “This spring we will focus on our coaching, staff and players.”
“They’re going out there and trying to find ways to make things better,” he said of the coaching staff.
Vrabel notably dodged a reporter’s question about whether he regretted missing Day 3 of the NFL Draft. As reported by Page Six, he missed a key draft event to meet with his wife for counseling, but the NFL later released a statement supporting his decision.
In April, Page Six obtained exclusive photos of an NFL coach and a New York Times sports reporter holding hands at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.
A photo taken on March 28 shows Vrabel and Russini having fun on Ambiente’s private rooftop. Ambiente is only accessible from one of the two-person bungalows and costs up to $2,160 a night.
They were also photographed having breakfast together and taking a dip in the pool or hot tub.
Witnesses told Page Six that no one else was with them, but the couple, Vrabel and Russini, claimed they were with a friend who was not pictured.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told Page Six at the time. “I don’t deserve any further response.”
In his own statement, Russini told Page Six: “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 journalist announced his resignation on April 14 after The Athletic, The Times’ sports division, launched an investigation.
“This media frenzy is proceeding at breakneck speed in disregard of the review process The Athletic is attempting to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and is unwilling to respond to a public investigation that has already caused more damage than I am willing to accept,” Russini said in a statement.
Vrabel addressed the scandal the following week in a press conference ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. He admitted to having “difficult conversations” with his family, saying, “We believe that to be successful on and off the field, you have to make the right decisions, and that includes me. It starts with me.”
Shortly after, Vrabel announced he would be absent from the draft and instead seek counseling.
Just hours later, Page Six published a photo of Russini and Vrabel kissing at a Tribeca bar six years ago.
Page Six subsequently confirmed that Vrabel and his wife held an impromptu 24-hour marriage summit in Park City, Utah, that weekend.
Photos of Vrabel and Russini renting a boat together in June 2021 were published in early May, months before Russini gave birth to her first child with husband Kevin Goldschmidt.
Despite the drama, Russini and Goldschmidt were spotted kissing on Mother’s Day.
