Yet another picture has been unveiled in the ongoing scandal involving Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini. This comes after the latest boat revelation and shows them at a 2022 Super Bowl party.
TMZ first published the picture. Russini is seen with her arm around Vrabel, and she is seemingly saying something into his ear. This was taken before Super Bowl 56 in Inglewood, California, at a VIP party at The Forum.
Kings of Leon were performing at the party, which was reportedly being held for the NFL Honors. Vrabel was named Coach of the Year while Russini was still with ESPN and was spotted on the red carpet of the event.
What went down between Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini at the Super Bowl party?
According to TMZ’s report, eyewitnesses didn’t report anything “questionable” happening between them. As TMZ pointed out, it was a “work” event.
Vrabel and Russini have been seeing each other since at least 2020. They were spotted kissing in a New York City bar in 2020, and they rented a boat together the following year.
The scandal first broke when pictures of them at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, were published in early April 2026. It created a snowball effect, as several pictures and reports have surfaced since.
While they both denied any wrongdoing, Russini was suspended by The Athletic after the first photos surfaced. She later resigned from the outlet, where she was the lead NFL insider.
They are both married to other people, causing a stir online after the scandal was first reported. Vrabel sought marriage counseling during the 2026 NFL Draft, removing himself from the building temporarily. He has since gone back to work with the New England Patriots.
Before her resignation, Russini was an NFL insider for The Athletic. She was also part of ESPN for several years before leaving in 2023 to join The Athletic.
Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini photo timeline, from 2020 bar kiss to recent hotel pictures in Arizona
For better or worse, Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini’s names are set to be inextricably linked with one another.
The Patriots head coach and longtime NFL insider were the subject to intense scrutiny after Page Six published images of them holding hands and hugging in an Arizona hotel in April 2026.
Those photos opened the flood gates. Weeks later, more images emerged, dating as far back at March 2020. Whereas the initial photos of Vrabel and Russini were shrouded in an air of mystery, recent images appear to show that the two’s relationship with one another was more intimate than they initially let on.
With that, here’s a complete timeline on the history of Vrabel and Russini’s images, from 2020 to the present-day.
On April 23, Page Six published photos of Vrabel and Russini spending time together at a dimly-lit New York City bar. The photos were snapped on March 11, 2020, six years before the Patriots coach and longtime NFL insider’s relationship to one another was made public.
The images show Vrabel and Russini conversing with one another at the bar. One image appears to show the two sharing a kiss.
Vrabel appeared to be wearing a ring on his ring finger during the encounter. Other shots show Vrabel placing his hand on Russini’s arm and thigh.
At the time the photos were taken, Vrabel had been married to his wife, Jen, for 20 years. Russini wed her now-husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, six months later.
The photo was taken at a “pregame party,” per TMZ, as the two were “spotted hugging at a VIP party at The Forum” during an NFL Honors event. At the time, Vrabel had recently won Coach of the Year for the Titans while Russini was employed by ESPN. TMZ reported that people at the event also said “they saw nothing questionable going on between the two.”
Aug. 2023
After eight years as one of ESPN’s highest-profile insiders, Russini made the decision to leave the Worldwide Leader, signing on to join The Athletic. According to Andrew Marchand, formerly of the New York Post, ESPN offered to increase Russini’s salary in the hopes of preventing her from leaving ESPN. She did so anyways, opting to join The Athletic — a New York Times-backed publication that called on her to spearhead its NFL coverage via written stories as well as video and podcast content.