Mike Vrabel set to speak at NFL draft as Dianna Russini photo fallout continues

Mike Vrabel will take center stage before the 2026 NFL Draft begins in Pittsburgh, with the Patriots’ head coach scheduled to address reporters hours after Page Six published bombshell photos appearing to show him and NFL insider Dianna Russini kissing in a New York bar.

While it wasn’t explicitly stated that Vrabel will address the firestorm following the photos, he’s sure to face plenty of questions about the situation.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during an NFL football press conference, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Foxborough. AP

This will be Vrabel’s second time getting in front of reporters to address the scandal involving the former The Athletic reporter and the football coach after he gave a prepared statement on Tuesday and briefly spoke with local reporters off-camera.

Photos obtained by Page Six and published on Thursday showed Russini and Vrabel inside Tribeca Tavern together in the early hours of March 11, 2020, sitting close to each other and appearing to kiss.

One person told the outlet that the two “were kissing and they were all over each other.”

It’s the latest twist in a saga that first started earlier this month when Page Six published photos of the two hanging out by a pool, and hugging and holding hands at an adults-only resort in Arizona.

Russini and Vrabel initially denied any wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior in the photos, taken in March. But not long after The Athletic started an internal investigation into the situation, Russini resigned.

Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini at Tribeca Tavern on March 11, 2020. © Page Six

In his initial statement, Vrabel said that the pictures “show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

When Vrabel spoke Tuesday, he told reporters that he had “some difficult conversations with people that I care about.”

And early Thursday morning, he announced he would not be with the Patriots on the final day of the draft and that he would be “seeking counseling.”