Why NFL fans believe they may have found Mike Vrabel's burner account defending Pats coach Dianna Russini scandal

The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini story continues to evolve — around a month after the original Page Six report showing the New England Patriots coach and NFL reporter holding hands at an Arizona hotel, more photos and reports have followed. 

The latest development, via TMZ, were photos of a document appearing to show Vrabel and Russini renting a boat together in June 2021, along with viral videos of the two boarding the boat. But some NFL fans also think they found more to the Vrabel-Russini story on Thursday.

One X account with the name "Mike Masters" was speculated as a Vrabel "burner" account, primarily because of how the user has consistently defended the Patriots coach throughout his recent scandal.

Here's why NFL fans think they found Vrabel's burner account on X.

MORE: Full timeline of Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini photos

Why NFL fans believe they may have found Mike Vrabel's burner account

There hasn't been any type of confirmation that the account NFL fans have actually has connections to Vrabel — and, as the Kevin Durant burner account saga earlier this year showed, there likely never will be. Unless Vrabel plainly said himself that the X account was his, there's nothing more than speculative dot-connecting from NFL fans.

However, those fans did find an account under the name "Mike Masters" intriguing. 

The account, @mike_masters199, has a history over the last month of defending Vrabel in his most recent scandal, along with commenting under Patriots-related posts.

Only furthering the speculation, the account was deleted after it began going viral.

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) May 7, 2026

Update: Mike Vrabel has deleted his burner account. https://t.co/2p1jm3qzq2 pic.twitter.com/vh8IWLxj5u

— Behold A Pale Horse (@BeholdPaleH0rse) May 7, 2026

What is a burner account? 

A "burner" account is a term that refers to an anonymous social media account created by an individual, whether to respond to posts or simply view posts while hiding one's true identity. In the past, many celebrities have faced allegations that they owned burner accounts, whether to pose as an average person or even defend themselves anonymously.

In 2018, former 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo was forced to resign in 2018 after his burner account was unearthed. Kevin Durant has long been the athlete "face" of burner accounts, admitting he has one in 2019, then recently going through a scandal in 2026 over potential burner insults toward his Rockets teammates.

MORE: Everything to know about the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel photos, speculation

What is Mike Vrabel's rumored burner account?

The X account that some fans believe could be Vrabel was @mike_masters199. It drew the Vrabel connection not only for the "Mike" name, but also how it often defending the Patriots coach, including in the Russini scandal. 

Before it was deleted, the account had no profile picture and under 500 followers.

— Joe Pop (@JoePops_) May 7, 2026

Alleged Mike Vrabel burner tweets

While the account is now private, a lot of the @mike_masters199 posts were in defense of Vrabel's controversy over the past month.

For example, the account insulted others for saying Vrabel is "pretending to be a leader of men." It also speculated that unknown off-the-field storylines for NFL names like Patrick Mahomes and Ben Johnson would lead to consequences when other users were discussing Vrabel.

"Having an affair does not disqualify someone from their job. What world do you come from? I hope someone calls for your job 1 day," one of the account's posts read.

Mike Vrabel’s burner account (@mike_masters199) also says Drake Maye also needs to train in the offseason, that the Patriots have taken note of Colin Cowherd, and the Eagles tampered to get Makai Lemon. He also calls new Buffalo head coach Joe Brady a “soy boy”. pic.twitter.com/3gBOYLkf0a

— Behold A Pale Horse (@BeholdPaleH0rse) May 7, 2026