NFL Network's Ian Rapoport Shares Stance On Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini Situation
There's no question the biggest story in the NFL right now revolves around New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini.
Page Six sent the NFL world into frenzy on April 7 when it published photos of Russini and Vrabel spending time together at a hotel in Arizona. They were apparently hugging and holding hands despite being married to other people. Additional photos of them were then released on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
A few weeks later, TMZ reported that Russini and Vrabel had a boat day in June 2021. She was pregnant with her first child at the time.
"The timing of that outing might raise a few eyebrows, because Russini was pregnant at the time with her first child. Documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show both signed the company waiver before heading out on a lake … and our source says there was no visible PDA before they departed," TMZ reported. "We're also told Vrabel and Russini appeared cautious about photos being taken, and while she declined to pose at all with the staff … Vrabel agreed to snap one pic, but allegedly asked that no images be publicly posted."
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was asked about Russini and Vrabel's situation during an interview with Eric Burgess and Manish Mehta.
Rapoport doesn't blame media outlets for covering this story, but he does feel terrible for Russini and Vrabel's loved ones.
"I don't blame the media," Rapoport said. "I really don't because the public thirst is there. The media isn't getting people interested [in this story], they're already interested in it. They're feeding the beast. Watching this play out in public is much sadder than I ever anticipated. I would not wish anybody to go through what everyone involved in this is going through."
Ian Rapoport isn't the only person saddened by this situation.
Former ESPN star Max Kellerman recently said that he was disgusted by the coverage this scandal has received.
"The three percent of the teams she covers, there's some kind of bias that might show up, who knows how, but whatever. Ok. I'm willing to say that's true, that's legitimate. But that's not why people are covering this story. They're using that as a bull-- excuse to be titilated by an affair," Kellerman said, via Awful Announcing. "It's so disgusting to me because, especially the latest. It comes across my reels, and I've worked with Dianna Russini, I haven't worked with Mike Vrabel. But it's on my reels so I can't avoid it. And there's pictures and the press is trying to create a timeline where when they might have been cheating. So without regard to how this affects their spouses, their children, they're putting these families through hell under the guise of journalistic integrity and ethics where in fact that is just an excuse to put out salacious stuff. Shame on the media for covering it the way they are."
Vrabel recently left the Patriots to undergo counseling. He has since returned to the team and is on track to coach Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.
As for Russini, she's been quiet since resigning from The Athletic.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 7:59 AM.