Rusty Weiss
New bombshell photos obtained by the New York Post’s Page Six show New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini kissing at a dimly lit New York City bar — six years before they were caught holding hands and hugging at an Arizona resort.
This scandal just keeps getting worse and worse. And it’s an abject lesson in why you want to be honest from the onset when you’ve seemingly been caught doing something untoward.
The images not only call into question the pair’s claims that the pictures taken at the adult-only resort were “completely innocent” and taken out of context, but also raise questions about how long this behavior has been going on.
To be honest, I wish this story would go away. Probably not as much as Mike and Dianna do, but still. Instead, it just seems to get a little more grimy each and every day.
The images, taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020, at Tribeca Tavern, capture the then-married Vrabel and soon-to-be-wed Russini “all over each other,” according to an eyewitness who spoke to the newspaper.
The two were exchanging constant pecks, with his wedding ring clearly visible, according to the report.
Dianna Russini and married Mike Vrabel caught kissing at NYC bar in bombshell new photos — taken 6 years before scandal https://t.co/WIPOoGKAWF pic.twitter.com/4j1UpviNuy
— New York Post (@nypost) April 23, 2026
Explosive 2020 Kissing Photos Shatter Vrabel and Russini’s ‘Completely Innocent’ Claims
Indeed, Vrabel and his wife, Jennifer, were married in 1999. They have two sons together, Tyler and Carter. Russini married Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt just six months after the new images were allegedly taken. She also has two children with her spouse.
The source tells Page Six that Vrabel and Russini seemed unworried about being noticed at a dive bar.
“They were having a glorious time. They were [giving each other] pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly,” they said. “There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.”
Well, the source must have known. Or whoever took the pictures.
Vrabel was working as head coach of the Tennessee Titans when these photos were taken, while Russini was an NFL reporter at ESPN. It’s pretty clear they haven’t understood the concept of professional boundaries for years. Nor do they have any respect for their own families.
The outlet reportedly gave the two an opportunity to comment on the latest photos, but neither opted to do so. They talked a bunch when the first images at the resort came out, professing their innocence. Trying to knock down the story. But now, suddenly, they’ve clammed up.
Also, we now know what prompted Vrabel to go into “counseling.” Not to “lead by example” or “to be the best husband, father, and coach that I possibly can be,” as he claimed in his statement Wednesday to ESPN.
But because he got caught. Again.
