Much has been made of the fact that Dianna Russini’s son shares a name with Mike Vrabel, but a new report indicates that he is not the namesake.
Russini had her son in 2021, but he was not named after Vrabel. Sources insisted to TMZ that he was instead named after Russini’s brother Michael, and the name was chosen early on in the pregnancy. Russini also named her second son after her grandfather, continuing the theme.
Whether anyone will believe this is another question entirely. Both Russini and Vrabel have denied any sort of intimate relationship, but new revelations continue to emerge that cast doubt on that statement. The fact that the two privately spent time together in 2021 while Russini was pregnant only fueled more theories to that effect.
Speculation about whether Vrabel provided Russini’s son’s name only increased after an old X post of Russini’s resurfaced in which she asked about “the best Michaels to ever play and coach in the NFL.”
No Way: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini have a lot to explain…
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 23, 2026
"Keep looking at my almost 4-day-old son, Michael, while trying to figure out who are the best Michaels to ever play and coach in the NFL?" – August 11th 2021.
You can't make this stuff up 🤦♂️ https://t.co/TI2jdMNBHq pic.twitter.com/4tdvJ7PMAV
It has been roughly a month now since Vrabel and Russini were spotted in pictures holding hands and hugging at a resort in Arizona. Russini resigned from her NFL reporting job at The Athletic in the wake of the controversy, while Vrabel recently took a leave of absence from his position as head coach to attend counseling. He has since returned and continues to be publicly supported by the Patriots.
