And the plot thickens. A new report says an NFL employee saw New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and the now former The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini together at Coaches Tavern in Indianapolis during the week of February 23. According to the unnamed source, the coach could also be seen giving the reporter what he described as a “friendly little slap” on her buttocks.
Vrabel and Russini were ostensibly there for the NFL Combine, which took place between February 23 and March 2, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This would put the incident four weeks ahead of the now infamous pictures of the pair at a hotel in Sedona, Arizona.
Wondering why an NFL coach and reporter would risk such a public encounter, in a city teaming with reporters attending the Combine, the source said that it has become an unspoken rule that Coaches Tavern is a press-free zone during the event:
“(NFL) coaches have realized that Prime (the Steakhouse across the street from Coaches Tavern) has become a popular spot for journalists to hang out and so Coaches has become a spot to let their hair down.”
According to analyst Tony Farmer, who shared the news on X, there’s been speculation regarding the exact nature of the connection between Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini since at least 2020.
Jon “Stugotz” Weiner expects Dianna Russini to tell her own story eventually
Radio host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is a well-known close friend of Dianna Russini, and as such, some expected him to have some sort of insight into the entire scandal. For him, that’s not his place, and this is not his story to tell. He’s no journalist, and he eventually expects Russini to tell her side of the story. He said as much on Friday:
“I’m not a journalist, I’m a talk show host,” Stugotz said, “and when my real friends fall on some difficult times, I like to support my friends and talk to them and be someone that listens. Not talks, listens. This is her story to share when she feels like sharing it. It is not me. And it is not my obligation to talk to Dianna Russini privately on the phone and then share it with a radio audience that she doesn’t want me to share it with, because it’s not my story to tell. It’s her story to tell on her timeline.”
Regardless of the final form the story of the affair takes, it has already caused some important changes in the world of the NFL, with Russini out of a job and Vrabel basically auto-suspending himself for the time being.
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