The Philadelphia Eagles probably knew the leaks in any speculative talks of an A.J. Brown trade with the New England Patriots weren’t coming from their side.
It’s the cost of doing business in the NFL. Not everyone you deal with is going to be as tight-lipped as you are.
What the Eagles probably could not have guessed was exactly who was leaking stories — although they now have a much better idea after another layer was added to an ongoing scandal that features Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and a possible affair with former NFL insider Diana Russini.
“Russini and her (expletive) Vrabel colluded on a coordinated media storm against the Eagles for the past year, trying to stir as much conflict as possible, often while no other reporter had anything on the Eagles,” Breaking the Birds host/creator Thomas R. Peterson wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “Howie (Roseman) and (Jeffrey) Lurie should go hard after those losers.”
Vrabel-Russini Scandal Continues to Grow
Russini and Vrabel were 1st connected through paparazzi photos of them embracing at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, during the same time the NFL owners meetings were being held in Arizona.
On Thursday, the New York Post published photos of Vrabel and Russini embracing and kissing on a late-night visit to a New York bar in March 2020.
Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic in the wake of the scandal. Vrabel will receive “counseling outside of Massachusetts” and won’t be with the Patriots for Day 3 of the NFL draft on Saturday.
Vrabel and Russini are both married to other people.
Deep Ties Between Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown
There’s no telling how the scandal between Vrabel and Russini might impact what’s been thought of as a “done deal” between the Eagles and Patriots to send Brown to New England.
Vrabel and Brown have deep ties. Vrabel was Brown’s head coach for his first 3 seasons with the Tennessee Titans before he was traded to the Eagles before the 2022 season.
Vrabel didn’t mince words when asked about a possible trade for Brown, a 3-time NFL All-Pro.
“Anything we can continue to do to strengthen our roster, we will try to do,” Vrabel told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane at the annual NFL owners meetings on Tuesday.
Vrabel was effusive in talking about Brown and their relationship at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Brown spent his first 3 seasons playing for the Titans before he was shipped to the Eagles before the 2022 season in a blockbuster trade that Vrabel was vehemently opposed to. Vrabel famously stormed out of the Titans’ war room during the 2022 NFL draft when news of Brown’s trade broke.
That Vrabel’s comments come as Brown spends the offseason as the NFL’s No. 1 trade curiosity — and the Patriots are fresh off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl — only makes things that much more interesting.
“(Our relationship) has meant a lot,” Vrabel told reporters. “I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him… It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us here today.”
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