Mike Vrabel is facing renewed scrutiny before Patriots minicamp after a fresh report tied to Dianna Russini surfaced Wednesday. Vrabel was hit with a new report in the ongoing Russini scandal, just two days before New England rookies report for the season’s first minicamp. The scandal, which has dragged on for a full month now, is believed by some NFL experts to pose a threat to Vrabel’s job, and the new allegation is not a good look for Vrabel.
“This is the product of horrible PR management,” Pro Football Talk founder Mike Florio said in a radio interview Tuesday. “They will be studied in universities for decades to come for what not to do when faced with a PR crisis.”
Vrabel responded to the initial publication of photos showing him in an intimate setting with Russini, then an NFL insider journalist for The Athletic, by calling any implication of impropriety on his part “laughable.”
But just two weeks later, Vrabel left the team during the NFL Draft, saying that he was seeking counseling. Vrabel also said at the time that when he called speculation surrounding the photos “laughable” it was in “an attempt to protect (my) family.”
Due to the PR bungling of the revelations, Florio said, “we’re one news cycle away potentially, at any given moment, from him not being able to coach the team this year.”
That news cycle may have started on Wednesday, with the new report published by the celebrity news site TMZ.
Report: Vrabel and Russini Took Poorly Timed Boat Trip
According to the TMZ report, Vrabel and Russini “allegedly rented a private boat together for a day on the water … just the two of them.”
The private boat trip, according to the TMZ report, took place in June 2021, when Vrabel was still coach of the Tennessee Titans. The private boat ride was booked in Putnam County, Tennessee, according to the report, and “a source with direct knowledge” told the outlet that Vrabel and Russini “were the only people onboard for their 2-to-3-hour rental.”
At the time of their alleged cruise, Russini “was pregnant at the time with her first child.” She married her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, the previous year. Vrabel has been married to wife Jen since 1999.
TMZ published photos of what the publication said were the signed rental papers to book the private boat.
Report Becomes Distraction Before Minicamp
While Patriots players, including star quarterback Drake Maye and Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, have been stalwart in publicly backing Vrabel, the ongoing scandal and the new, potentially embarrassing boat trip revelation threatens to prove a distraction as Vrabel meets his first-year Patriots players for the first time.
“This will be the first time the Patriots will be able to get a look at their new crop of rookies,” wrote Patriots on SI reporter Ethan Hurwitz. “The entire group of draft picks and undrafted signings are all expected to arrive by May 7.”
The Patriots’ nine drafted players, at least 12 undrafted free agents signed by the team, and another 10 tryout players are expected to take part in the minicamp that runs May 8-10, when they will form their first impressions of Vrabel and the Patriots organization.
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