The photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini that were published this week were pretty surprising. More and more details surrounding the matter are emerging.
Page Six, which is part of the New York Post, published photos on Tuesday that showed Vrabel and Russini together at a hotel in Arizona. The hotel where they were photographed is the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, which regards itself as a hotel for romantic getaways. Both the New England Patriots head coach Vrabel and the prominent NFL reporter Russini said the photos were not an accurate depiction of what was taking place. They say the photos made things look romantic, but that the two were at the hotel as part of a small group and had friends there.
Front Office Sports has since published an article about the story behind the story. They say the person who took the photos shopped them to various outlets, including TMZ. The photographer was apparently seeking an amount in the “four figures” for the photos.
TMZ passed on the story, and apparently didn’t realize the woman with whom Vrabel was photographed was Russini. TMZ reporter Michael J. Babcock wrote in a post on X that they were debating the ethics of publishing a story about a person possibly cheating on their wife. He added that the photos were not presented as involving Russini.
I've turned down countless cheating stories over the years.
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) April 10, 2026
Re: Vrabel photos, we saw them. They weren't presented as Vrabel and Russini. It was Vrabel with "a woman who isn't his wife."
That warrants further conversation, and I stand by that.
We later figured out it was Russini,…
Their debate became moot once Page Six published the story.
The fact that Russini was the woman in the photos makes it a news story beyond just someone possibly cheating on a spouse. An NFL coach possibly having a romantic relationship with an NFL reporter changes the conversation and makes it a significant news story.
Both Vrabel and Russini are married to other people and have children.
