Patriot Pulse

Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Told His Christian Player to Get Educated and Then Did Something That Left the Patriots Speechless

Claire Lucia image via Shutterstock
Claire Lucia image via Shutterstock

Mike Vrabel just lectured one of his players about needing to be "educated" for quoting the Bible.

One week later, Page Six published photos of Vrabel holding hands with a married New York Times reporter at a $2,160-a-night romance resort in Arizona.

Now the Patriots head coach won't even show his face at his own press conference – and every football fan in America wants to know why.

Vrabel Skips Patriots Press Conference as Dianna Russini Investigation Grows

The New England Patriots had their pre-draft press conference scheduled for Monday, April 13.

Vrabel attended it last year.

This year, per ESPN's Mike Reiss, the head coach is nowhere to be found.

Patriots EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf will stand at the podium instead.

Reiss spelled out the reason directly – Vrabel "has been in the news this week, as The Athletic is reinvestigating the coverage of NFL reporter Dianna Russini and the nature of her relationship with him."

Vrabel isn't expected to address reporters until the NFL Draft itself, which begins April 23 in Pittsburgh.

That's 11 more days of silence – while his own organization investigates how close its head coach got to the reporter who was supposed to be covering him.

The Mike Vrabel Dianna Russini Photos and the Cover Story That Fell Apart

Page Six published the images on April 7.

They showed Vrabel and Russini at the Ambiente Resort in Sedona, Arizona – an adults-only boutique property with private bungalows designed for couples, charging up to $2,160 a night.

The photos captured the two holding hands, hugging, lounging side by side at the pool, and watching the sunset together from the private rooftop of one of those bungalows.

Both are married to other people.

Vrabel has been married to Jen since 1999.

Russini has been married to Kevin Goldschmidt, a Shake Shack executive, since 2020.

Both have two children.

Their cover story fell apart fast.

Russini told Page Six the photos didn't show the full picture – she was there with "a group of six people who were hanging out during the day."

Vrabel called the whole thing "laughable," insisting the interaction was "completely innocent."

Three eyewitnesses told Page Six they saw only Vrabel and Russini together throughout the day.

One witness put it in four words: "No, he was with a girl."

"We Want to Be Inclusive"

Here is the part that fired up conservatives across the country.

On March 31 – just days before those photos dropped – Vrabel was asked at the NFL's annual league meetings about Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Henderson had posted Bible verses on X in support of Jaden Ivey, the NBA player the Chicago Bulls waived after he called Pride Month a "celebration of unrighteousness."

Henderson's post was a single verse: Matthew 5:10 – "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Vrabel's response was measured, calculated, and condescending.

"I want them to be able to express what they believe in their heart and in their mind," Vrabel told reporters, "but also want to make sure that they're educated, and we want to be inclusive."

He used the word "educate" or "educated" repeatedly – then added that his players need to understand their "actions represent something more than just themselves."

A week later, photos showed Vrabel at a honeymoon resort in Arizona with a married woman who wasn't his wife.

"Nobody's laughing," NBC Sports host Michael Holley said on air after reading Vrabel's original statement.

The New York Times Investigation Into Dianna Russini and What It Actually Proves

Russini works for The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times.

The Times launched an internal investigation into "the nature of Ms. Russini's relationship with Mr. Vrabel" and sidelined her from reporting while it proceeds.

The Athletic's executive editor Steven Ginsberg had initially defended Russini, calling the photos "misleading" and insisting they lacked "essential context."

That defense lasted about three days before the Times opened the investigation anyway.

The professional conflict of interest here is significant.

Russini began covering Vrabel when he took the Tennessee Titans head coaching job in 2018, spending years as the reporter with the deepest inside access to his organization.

That access followed him to New England – she joined The Athletic in 2023 and continued reporting on the Patriots with the same insider positioning.

Every scoop she broke on his teams now carries a question mark.

This isn't Russini's first time in this situation.

In 2015, Jessica McCloughan – wife of then-Washington Redskins GM Scot McCloughan – publicly accused Russini of an affair with her husband.

Jessica later walked back the accusation.

That one faded.

This one has photographs.

The man who wanted TreVeyon Henderson "educated" about representing the organization will answer for his own conduct when the NFL Draft cameras turn on him April 23.

Sources:

  • Mike Reiss, "Patriots' Eliot Wolf to Conduct Pre-Draft Press Conference as Vrabel Steps Back," ESPN, April 12, 2026.
  • "Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Responds After Photos With New York Times NFL Reporter Leak," Fox News, April 8, 2026.
  • "Patriots' Married Coach Drove 125 Miles From Scouting Trip – Caught Holding Hands With NFL Reporter," Yardbarker, April 10, 2026.
  • "Mike Vrabel Addresses TreVeyon Henderson's Defense of Jaden Ivey," Fox News, March 31, 2026.
  • "We Want to Be Inclusive: After Christian Player Posts Bible Verses, Patriots Coach Says Team Needs to Be Educated," Blaze Media, April 1, 2026.
  • "Report: Mike Vrabel Won't Be Participating in Patriots' Pre-Draft Press Conference," NBC Sports / PFT, April 12, 2026.
  • "Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini Photos Spark Speculation," Complex, April 8, 2026.

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