Following the latest update regarding the controversy involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini, whispers surfaced suggesting that Vrabel could “take a leave of absence” for the 2026 season.
It appears that’s currently the only way he won’t remain with the Patriots this offseason.
Robert Kraft has made a Mike Vrabel decision amid Dianna Russini controversy
“League sources continue to indicate that the franchise is firmly behind Vrabel,” NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US reported on Thursday.
La Canfora added that Vrabel has the “full support” of team owner Robert Kraft “as [Vrabel] attempts to prepare the team for its defense of an AFC crown and also try to repair the damage he has done to his family.”
La Canfora’s update came less than 24 hours after TMZ Sports revealed that Vrabel and Russini rented a boat together in June 2021 when she was pregnant with her first child. Eyebrows were first raised when photos surfaced in April showing Vrabel and Russini, who are married to other people, spending time together at an Arizona resort in late March.
Since that time, pictures have emerged showing the two sharing a kiss and “sitting very close to each other” at a New York City bar in March 2020. They were also spotted at the Beau Rivage Casino in Mississippi in January 2024. Russini resigned from her role of reporting on the NFL for The Athletic in April.