NFL insider speculates on what could get Mike Vrabel fired from Patriots if Dianna Russini scandal continues to escalate
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer made an interesting comment on the job status of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, amid his scandal with former NFL Insider Dianna Russini, on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.
The New England Patriots are in the middle of their rookie minicamp, May 8-10, and head coach Mike Vrabel is present, accounted for, and very active according to local reports, amid his extra-marital scandal with former NFL Insider Dianna Russini.
Vrabel’s scandal is officially over one month old since Page Six released the initial story on April 7 of the reigning NFL Coach of the Year with Russini, who has since resigned from The Athletic, at a Sedona, Arizona private resort ahead of NFL Owner’s Meetings in Phoenix.
After missing day three of the NFL Draft for counseling, Vrabel has been full-go at the Patriots facility as he normally would at this point in the NFL offseason. Local media has shared images from rookie minicamp of the decorated former player and coach doing his normal practice activities, such as nearly going through the drills as players are.
The franchise released a statement on draft day last month to “fully support” its coach and its belief in his future leadership of the football team. Players have publicly kept the same tune at media availabilities in and out of the team facility.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is a staple in the greater Boston sports ecosystem as a National NFL voice, as a native Bostonian and former member of the local beat for multiple outlets.
Breer appears regularly on 98.5 The Sports Hub, and reverberated the same plan of support for Vrabel that we’ve only seen from the franchise. However, on Toucher and Hardy on Friday morning, Breer was prompted by a question from host Fred Toucher about the chances the coach could be fired from this scandal.
“I would say at this point, it’s definitely not in their plans to move on from Mike Vrabel,” Breer says. “I think if you look at the actions of the crash course, it’s been a month now since the photos came out. Almost everything has been done (by the Patriots) in an effort to protect his employment to protect the team’s image.”
Breer and Toucher continue, and agree that no one has control over the slow leak of old photos and events from the past by TMZ (referencing the Tennessee boat rental from June 2021) or other tabloids.
“If it’s just this,” Breer continued, “drips and drabs to kind of continue to fill in the blanks of what we sort of already know, then I think the Patriots just ride it out.”
Albert Breer: ‘more women’ could change things for Vrabel and the Patriots
Breer’s next sentence is where speculation begins to escalate. Up until this point, SI’s lead NFL Insider has offered what he knows to be the case. Then, Breer flows into what could change the Patriots and owner Robert Kraft’s mind.
“What could be worse is if like, again, like, I think it would have to almost be like more women coming out, or there being some sort of breach of trust within the organization where Mike Vrabel was serving his relationship (with Russini) over the team, in certain way, I think it would have to go to a different level (to fire Vrabel).
A reminder than this was speculation from Breer about ‘more women coming out’ against Vrabel, but as Breer and the radio segment continued, this is what happens when a sports story gets so big and out of control it crosses into a different world.
“This story is very clearly crossed the Rubicon from sports story into celebrity gossip story. As we’re all finding out, that’s a totally different world. It seems ridiculous that the origin of a four year old’s name is a story like that is, I mean, like, holy crap. I can’t believe we’re talking about that right now, but that’s where we are, and that’s what happens when this crosses from a sports story into a celebrity gossip story. Quite honestly, I think that this is sort of what happens when you mess with Page Six.”
Breer ended with “messing with Page Six” in referenced to how strongly Russini and Vrabel both denied the initial story of a romantic relationship form the April 7 pictures from the Sedona resort.
Russini claimed it was a friend’s trip with four other people. Vrabel called the allegation of anything more than a professional relationship with Russini “laughable”. As we know from the multiple new reports in the weeks since, not a single person involved with either family is laughing.