Mike Vrabel is under fire after the NFL declined to conduct an investigation into his cheating scandal with a married sports reporter.
Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots, was seen in leaked photos holding hands and hugging former sports journalist Dianna Russini at an adults-only retreat in Arizona. Vrabel and Russini are married to other people.
They both denied any wrongdoing after Page Six leaked a private investigator’s photos of them frolicking in a hot tub together.
The private investigator was reportedly hired by Russini’s husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt.
New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel https://t.co/kgk6uoumOU pic.twitter.com/J2dtb6HuyA
— New York Post (@nypost) April 7, 2026
Russini resigned from her job with The Atlantic magazine. But Vrabel escaped unscathed, thanks to the NFL’s good old boy network.
At first he avoided speaking to the media. But on Tuesday, Vrabel broke his silence after the NFL announced no investigation into his infidelity. Vrabel won’t face any discipline.
“You know, I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about – my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said in a statement.
He half-apologized for making poor decisions and being a distraction to his team.
“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. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. You never want to be the cause of a distraction.”
Sports journalist Jemele Hill questioned the double standard. She said Russini faced much harsher consequences than Vrabel.
“There is a clear difference in the level of scrutiny and judgment she’s receiving versus Mike Vrabel,” Hill wrote in a comment on X.com. “Her career will be over. Him … see him on the sidelines for Game 1.”
In another comment on X, Hill said, “it’s interesting to me how Dianna is bearing all the consequences and I also know that so many men in the business are completely compromised by cozy relationships.”
Uh Oh: Jemele Hill claims that Dianna Russini’s resignation could result in “Misogyny” towards other female reporters similar to the Racism she's faced as a Black woman.
"If Dianna Russini crossed the line, that has nothing to do with Jemele Hill. It gets exhausting."
??? pic.twitter.com/5M5775BBNI
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 15, 2026
The backlash against Vrabel was swift on social media.
One person on X.com tweeted: “Ime Udoka was the trending topic for weeks. Mike Vrabel got a super pass.”
Udoka was suspended by the Boston Celtics for the entire 2022-23 season after his love affair with a co-worker was exposed. He eventually resigned.
The scandal caused his fiancée, Nia Long, to break off their engagement and end their 13-year relationship. They share a 14-year-old son named Kez Sunday Udoka. Udoka agreed to pay Nia $32,500 a month in child support.
