Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Old clips and tweets from The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini are being recontextualized following reports of an alleged illicit relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. One of these resurfaced clips sees Russini facetiously saying that she’s married to someone average.
Earlier this week, Page Six dropped on bomb on the NFL news cycle by publishing photos of Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel sitting poolside, hugging, and holding hands at an Arizona resort — a different location than where the NFL owners meetings were held, however.
While both Vrabel and Russini have denied any wrongdoing, the sports world has deemed them as being guilty in the court of public opinion, with memes exploding on social media in recent days, in addition to recontextualized past comments and actions from Russini.
An old video of Dianna Russini saying that her husband is “average” has resurfaced in the wake of speculation about her relationship with Mike Vrabel
In a clip from Get Up! in 2021, for example, Russini “jokes” that she’s married to someone average, and that if he were “beautiful,” she would post about him on social media more often.
“I think we all do weird things when we’re in love,” Russini said on ESPN’s Get Up! back in 2021, less than a year after she tied the knot. “We overshare and over-post. I’m married to someone average. I don’t post a lot about him. If I was married to someone beautiful, I’d over-post too.”
I blame Aaron Rodgers for my potential divorce. pic.twitter.com/xy55wszQUa
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 27, 2021
Another video of her discussing doubts she had getting married the night before her wedding after a phone interview with NFL QB Jimmy Garoppolo has also been making the rounds.
— Jake (@JakeMarc23) April 8, 2026
Dianna Russini describing her own husband: pic.twitter.com/MuX31CpcYu
— CantaLoupe (@CantALoupe_FF) April 8, 2026
Following the publication of the photos earlier this week, both Vrabel and Russini have been defiant in their denials.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response,” Vrabel claimed.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” added Russini.
While the pair have been attempting to sweep the issue under the rug, the intense interest from NFL fans does not seem set to temper any time soon.