Dianna Russini Wraps Arm Around Mike Vrabel During Chat At 2022 Super Bowl Party
Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini kept it pretty professional in front of their NFL peers at a post-awards show party before the 2022 Super Bowl … and TMZ has photos from the event.
The two were spotted hugging at a VIP party at The Forum in Los Angeles before Super Bowl LVI … with Russini leaning in close to talk to the head coach.
Check out the photo … Russini’s hand is on Vrabel’s back as she speaks into her ear — though it could just be she needed to cut through the noise as the band Kings of Leon performed.
We’re told this gathering was for a NFL Honors party … with plenty of football people present. Basically, the type of bash many of Vrabel and Russini’s colleagues would surely attend. Vrabel had just won Coach of the Year … and Russini, an ESPN employee at the time, worked the red carpet earlier in the night.
We spoke to people who attended the event … and they claim they saw nothing questionable going on between the two — after all, it was a work thing.
As you know … news of Russini and Vrabel romance has resulted in major fallout — with Russini resigning from The Athletic last month and Vrabel seeking counseling.
The pair have been hanging out socially since at least 2021 … renting a boat together while she was pregnant. We also shared photos of them at a casino in 2024.
Russini has been married since 2020 and has two children. Vrabel has been married since 1999 and also has two kids.
We’ve reached out to Russini and Vrabel … so far, no word back.
Dianna Russini Spotted with Her Husband on Mother’s Day for First Time Since Mike Vrabel Photo Scandal Broke
Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty; John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty
Dianna Russini was seen with her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, for the first time since the photo scandal with Mike Vrabel broke last month.
Russini, 43, was seen in new photos published by Page Six on Monday, May 11, sharing a kiss with Goldschmidt outside outside their home in New Jersey on Mother’s Day. The couple appeared to greet each other as Russini carried their youngest son on her hip.
The sighting marks the first time Russini has been seen since Page Six published seven photos of her and the New England Patriots coach, 50, holding hands, hugging and lounging poolside at the boutique Arizona resort Ambiente Sedona on April 7. The photos were taken in March.
Vrabel married his wife Jen in 1999. Russini married her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, in September 2020.
Credit: Jeff Schear/Getty; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
Both Vrabel and Russini initially denied that the photos showed an intimate relationship. Russini claimed she and Vrabel were on a trip with a “group of six people who were hanging out during the day” in a same-day statement to the New York Post, while Vrabel said the pictures “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” in a separate statement to the New York Post.
On April 14, after The Athletic said it was opening an investigation into the nature of the pair’s relationship, Russini resigned from her role, telling executive editor Steven Ginsberg in her resignation letter that “commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
On April 22, Vrabel announced he would miss the third day of the NFL Draft to seek “counseling.”
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” Vrabel told ESPN. “In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend.”
“This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them,” he continued. “This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”
The Patriots said the team supported Vrabel’s “decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being.” A NFL spokesperson also confirmed to PEOPLE on April 20 that Vrabel was not being investigated for any violation regarding the league’s personal conduct policy.