Mike Vrabel got a standing ovation from Patriots fans Tuesday as players publicly addressed the Russini photos. The public backing came as national analysts warned the controversy may already be affecting football operations inside Foxborough.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy captured the moment on video and posted it to his X account Wednesday morning.
“Mike Vrabel did a Q+A with Patriot season ticket holders last night,” Portnoy wrote in the post. “Word on the street is he got a standing ovation when he arrived. Patriots fans aren’t into gossip and tabloid fodder. We are into winning super bowls and forgiveness. Model franchise.”
Portnoy later posted a video of the Patriots season ticket holders at a special event attended by Vrabel giving the suddenly embattled coach the standing ovation, as the Barstool Sports president reported earlier.
@barstoolsports Mike Vrabel got a standing ovation at the Patriots season ticket holder event last night 👏 (🎥:Jmarcus2/ig) #nfl #patriots
The show of support arrives three weeks after celebrity gossip outlet Page Six published photographs of Vrabel and former The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini — both married but not to each other — holding hands at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14. Vrabel publicly called the situation a “personal and private matter” and missed the third day of the NFL Draft to begin counseling.
GettyFormer NFL insider Dianna Russini is at the center of the Mike Vrabel scandal.
Patriots Captains Address Vrabel Story for First Time
Tight end Hunter Henry and linebacker Robert Spillane, both 2025 team captains, took questions from reporters Tuesday as part of the Patriots’ regular offseason press availability, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub‘s Alex Barth. They became the first New England players to address the Vrabel-Russini story publicly.
Henry kept his answer short.
“It’s been the same Vrabes, bringing a lot of energy in the room,” Henry said. “Obviously he addressed it, and that’s all I’ll say about it.”
Spillane drew a hard line between the coach’s personal life and what unfolds inside the facility.
“Coach coaches football, and he keeps the main thing the main thing,” Spillane said. “I know he’s dealing with personal issues, but when we’re in the building we speak football.”
The standing ovation also raised a bigger question. Have Patriots fans already moved on faster than the national media?
NFL analysts Mike Florio and Chris Simms argued on NBC Sports Pro Football Talk Wednesday that the story had already become an unavoidable distraction, and that the moment Vrabel skipped Day 3 of the NFL Draft, it became a football matter, not just a personal one.
“Everything is on the table,” Florio said, predicting that the full picture would emerge through candid locker room conversations, not managed press availabilities.
GettyMike Florio believes the Vrabel-Russini situation has already become a distraction for the Patriots.
The Athletic Holds Meeting Over Russini Fallout
The Athletic‘s institutional fallout continued Wednesday. Executive editor Steven Ginsberg convened the outlet’s first general all-hands staff meeting since the story broke, reading a prepared statement lasting roughly 10 minutes, according to Front Office Sports media and entertainment reporter Ryan Glasspiegle.
Ginsberg acknowledged internal communications had fallen short and confirmed that an investigation led by editorial standards director Mike Semel remains active and is expected to be lengthy, according to the Front Office Sports report.
Ginsberg declined to take questions from staff, according to an account of the meeting by the New York Post, though he told staff he remains available for direct contact. No additional details about the investigation’s scope were disclosed.
Page Six had published a second round of photographs on April 23 showing Vrabel and Russini at a Tribeca bar in March 2020 when he was coaching the Tennessee Titans and she was covering the NFL for ESPN, six months before her engagement to be married. An eyewitness told Page Six the two were kissing. Russini has since deactivated her X account.
Whether the controversy fades or grows, Patriots fans made one thing clear Tuesday night. Mike Vrabel still has their support.
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