New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former reporter for The Athletic Dianna Russini were caught kissing at a New York City bar in photos taken six years before they were spotted at an Arizona resort.
In pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post, Vrabel and Russini were spotted together inside a bar in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the New York Post. “He had a ring on.”
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The pictures show the coach and reporter sitting close to each other at the bar. According to the report, the two were at the bar for about an hour at 12 a.m.
“They were having a glorious time. They were (giving each other) pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly,” the New York Post’s source said. “There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.”
Russini reportedly married her now-husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, just six months after the photos were snapped. Goldschmidt and Russini share two children.
Vrabel married his wife, Jen, in 1999, and they have two sons together. His wedding ring is visible in the photos.
Russini was working for ESPN and Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans at the time the photos were taken.
The pair were seen holding hands and hugging at a luxury hotel in Arizona in March, and photos of their interaction were first released in April. After the initial report, Vrabel said the photos show a “completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini said.
Russini has since resigned from The Athletic. Vrabel said he is stepping away from the team during the final round of the NFL Draft indefinitely to seek counseling and be with his family.
Vrabel addressed the media for the first time since the first set of pictures were released.
“Let me first begin by saying thank you for your patience that you’ve shown in a personal and private matter — for me and obviously everyone involved. I know that’s not easy for you, and I respect that, and I appreciate your efforts in doing so,” the Patriots coach began.
“I understand I could have addressed you sooner, but it was important to me I have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday very candidly as we began our off-season program, which everyone is excited to be a part of.”
“We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” he stated. “We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. There’s comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team, will keep those private and to ourselves.”
Vrabel later said he was stepping away from the team indefinitely for counseling.
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