Mike Vrabel Gets Badgered About Dianna Russini At The Airport

Mike Vrabel didn't engage with a paparazzi member who hounded him at the airport.

TMZ posted a video of a photographer, not affiliated with them, asking Vrabel questions as the New England Patriots head coach exited an airport in Utah over the weekend. Vrabel didn't answer any of his inquiries, all of which were related to his alleged relationship with NFL reporter Dianna Russini.

The photographer followed Vrabel all the way to his car. Unsurprisingly, the two-time Coach of the Year chose not to open up to a tabloid reporter badgering him in public.

Vrabel's uncomfortable encounter

Vrabel responded to an early question about how he was holding up after the New York Post published photos of him and Russini together. While those pictures showed them at an Arizona resort during last month's NFL meetings, another photo of them at a bar in 2020 later surfaced.

"Yeah, no. Thank you," Vrabel said. "I appreciate you."

Vrabel picked up his pace as the photographer asked if he and his wife planned to work out their relationship. The 50-year-old missed the final day of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling.

The former linebacker kept walking when pressed about calls to step down to avoid becoming a "big distraction" to the Patriots. Russini resigned from The Athletic two weeks ago amid an ongoing internal investigation into her reporting.

Vrabel didn't stop to address the possibility of the public response highlighting a sexist double standard. He got in his vehicle as the photographer asked for a message to Patriots fans.

Vrabel made his only public comments on the situation when speaking to reporters Tuesday at Gillette Stadium.

"I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive," Vrabel said. "We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me; that starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction."

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 1:46 PM.