In a resurfaced video, Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini are seen exchanging flirtatious remarks in front of several reporters, fueling the ongoing scandal surrounding their alleged affair.
This story has been a focal point in NFL news for the past month, following Page Six’s release of photos showing the duo holding hands at an adults-only resort in Arizona.
Since the incident came to light, Russini has stepped down from her position at The Athletic, and Vrabel has sought counseling. Meanwhile, more previously overlooked videos have come to light, suggesting the once-secret romance is now widely acknowledged.
The newest video clip comes from a Barstool podcast episode where Vrabel and Russini face off in a Family Feud-style game.
In the video, Russini, seemingly sitting on her bed, is asked, “Tell me something a man might do to get a woman in the mood.”
Without missing a beat, she responds, “Kiss her! This is good advice for you guys.”
Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel both appeared on ‘Barstool Feud’ during a Covid lockdown
Their previously-innocuous interactions are going viral in light of their alleged affair scandal
Vrabel then weighs in out of nowhere to respond: ‘I’m paying very close attention. I’m so excited.’
While there was no reason for anyone on the call – or for viewers watching at home – to think anything untoward of the comment, the revelations of the past few weeks have given the comments a different meaning altogether.
The clip has now gone viral, with one X user commenting: ‘These bozos [are] just clowning now!’
Another added: ‘Vrabel taking notes like it’s a gameplan review is sending me.’
Earlier in the week, a separate clip from the same interview also went viral, after Russini made a wild comment about having sex with her husband.
The interview is believed to have been filmed in April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russini and Vrabel are on the Zoom call but seemingly in separate locations.
Russini and husband Kevin Goldschmidt were married in New Jersey in September 2020
Russini was asked to name ‘something you close your eyes to do?’
The NFL insider then bizarrely responded: ‘When you have sex with your husband or wife.’
The rest of the guests burst out laughing while some squirmed awkwardly. It appears Vrabel is using a laptop to the side of his camera shot and briefly pauses what he is doing and shakes his head at Russini’s answer.
Barstool chief Dave Portnoy, an avid Patriots fan, replied to the video on Thursday night: ‘What the f*** is this clip!!! I disavow! There is no way this can be real. Can we just play some football! Hut hut! Blue 42! Blue 42!!! Hut! Hut!’
It is not the first time Russini has been caught saying something disparaging about her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt.
A clip from a 2021 episode of ESPN’s Get Up was recently unearthed, during which Russini discussed her marriage.
‘I’m married to someone average,’ she said at the time. ‘I don’t post a lot about him. If I was married to someone beautiful, I’d over-post too.’
Her ESPN co-hosts later gave Russini a chance to correct herself, to which she explained: ‘We’re average together.’
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, for over two decades and they have two children
‘And you know what the worst part is,’ she continued. ‘He sent me a text during that segment – not watching ’cause he actually works for a living — and he said, “Good luck today. Be great on Get Up.”
‘So the guy’s got a heart of gold, and here I am on national TV killing him,’ she laughed. ‘Look, we’re average together, but he makes me above average because he married me. I am so sorry, I need to really stop killing my husband on television. I’m going to be divorced by Christmas!’
This weekend, meanwhile, Vrabel was spotted making a tense return to New England Patriots practice amid the ongoing scandal.
Vrabel was seen barking instructions during punt-protection drills and physically demonstrating techniques to sixth-round draft pick Namdi Obiazor.
The Vrabel and Russini scandal escalated further on Thursday when video footage emerged of them arriving for a romantic boat trip that allegedly took place just months before she gave birth to her first son.
Russini and Vrabel reportedly hired a vessel for two or three hours in June 2021, when he was still coaching the Tennessee Titans and she was reporting on him for ESPN.
A source with knowledge of the rental said Vrabel and Russini were the only people on board, and that claim was supported by a signed company waiver reviewed by TMZ.
Patriots’ billionaire owner Robert Kraft has said they are fully supportive of Vrabel
Then, The Daily Mail obtained video footage of the couple walking along the dock of a private rental company near a lake in Putnam County, Tennessee. Russini could be seen strolling a few steps ahead of Vrabel.
But it’s clear that Russini is pregnant at the time of the video when she turns around to speak to Vrabel. The pair were dressed for a day on the water, wearing T-shirts and shorts.
Vrabel and Russini were said to be hesitant to have their pictures taken with fans that day. It was also alleged by TMZ that she declined to have a photo taken with fans, while he agreed on the condition that it not be posted online.
Russini went on to give birth to her first of two sons, named Mike, in August 2021. TMZ reported that Russini named him after her brother, Michael Russini, not the now-Patriots coach.
