<p>Former NFL reporter Dianna Russini hits pause on her Spotify account after a playlist surfaces for &#8220;Mike&#8221; amid her scandal with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.</p>
<p>First, there were photos; now, a playlist to add to the pile of online evidence showing the married Russini and Vrabel in a not-so-loyal light.</p>
<p>Thanks to <a href="https://x.com/DavidCovucci/status/2048914416704409689?s=20">David Covucci</a> of FOIAball, the online world is now aware of Russini&#8217;s playlist, titled &#8220;Turnin The Page,&#8221; that was shared with a user named Mike in December of 2022, which just so happens to coincide with a Tennessee Titans&#8217; four-game losing streak. Vrabel was the Titans coach at the time, which, of course, makes social media users believe Russini made Vrabel this playlist to help him turn the page on his season.</p>
<p>This could all just be happenstance, but according to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/04/28/dianna-russini-spotify-playlist-mike-vrabel/#continued">TMZ</a>, the playlist includes songs Vrabel is known to play at practice.</p>
<p>The 15-song playlist starts out with &#8220;Cuff It&#8221; by Beyonce, followed by an array of genres including hits from Latto, Sam Hunt, Def Leopard, and KISS, among others.</p>
<p>If those artists sound good to you, unfortunately, Russini has scrubbed her entire Spotify profile after &#8220;Turnin The Page&#8221; went public and the &#8220;Mike&#8221; in question has now changed his profile name to &#8220;Tycar&#8221; — which, it can be argued, might be a combo of Vrabel&#8217;s two sons named Tyler and Carter.</p>
<p>The drama surrounding the former writer for The Athletic and current Patriots coach has exploded in recent weeks after cozy photos surfaced of the two this past March at a romantic resort in Arizona.</p>
<p>More bombshell photos released by <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/23/celebrity-news/dianna-russini-and-married-mike-vrabel-caught-kissing-at-nyc-bar-taken-6-years-before-scandal/">Page Six</a> showed the two kissing more than six years ago in New York.</p>
<p><strong>Related: </strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patriots-coach-makes-promise-as-smoochy-pics-add-to-russini-drama"><strong>Patriots Coach Makes Promise As Smoochy Pics Add To Russini Drama</strong></a></p>
<p>In the wake of the scandal, Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14 and Vrabel said he would seek counseling, even missing Day 3 of the NFL Draft to prioritize family.</p>
<p>&#8220;My previous actions don&#8217;t meet the standard that I hold myself to,&#8221; Vrabel said ahead of the draft. &#8220;They don&#8217;t. And what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life, my family and this football team, is for us to take the necessary steps together and to give them what I told them I&#8217;d give them, which is the best version of me. And that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re going to do. And that&#8217;s going to start, and that has started, and that&#8217;ll continue this weekend, and it&#8217;ll continue for however long it takes for me to give them and to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel returned to the Patriots Monday after taking Saturday and Sunday off to attend the counseling he vowed to. During the draft last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN that the coach&#8217;s situation does not fall under the NFL&#8217;s personal conduct policy and is instead a team matter.</p>
<p>Despite the public statements by Vrabel promising to be better for his family, neither he nor Russini have confessed to any kind of romantic affair.</p>


Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Stephen Maturen via Getty Images

A Spotify Playlist We Can’t Pause: The Dianna Russini And Mike Vrabel Scandal

Football

General

new england

Patriots

Sports

U.S.

<p>It&#8217;s NFL Draft Day, but the main story heading into Round 1 on Thursday night is the off-the-field drama between New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and former NFL reporter for The Athletic, Dianna Russini.</p>
<p>New pictures of the pair dropped on Thursday, showing the two kissing in New York six years before photos taken in March, which showed them canoodling in Arizona, ignited the current scandal.</p>
<p><a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/23/celebrity-news/dianna-russini-and-married-mike-vrabel-caught-kissing-at-nyc-bar-taken-6-years-before-scandal/?_gl=1*qh02gm*_ga*MTk1ODA5MzI4Ny4xNzYyMTk5MzYw*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3NzY5NjM2NTQkbzI2JGcxJHQxNzc2OTYzNjU1JGo1OSRsMCRoMA..">Page Six</a> published the bombshell photos showing Vrabel and Russini locking lips at a bar in New York City back in 2020 — just two weeks after the media outlet exposed Vrabel and Russini, both married, at an adults-only luxury resort in Arizona. The new photos add to the speculation that the two were romantically involved — and had been for some time.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dianna Russini and married Mike Vrabel caught kissing at NYC bar in bombshell new photos — taken 6 years before scandal <a href="https://t.co/WIPOoGKAWF">https://t.co/WIPOoGKAWF</a> <a href="https://t.co/4j1UpviNuy">pic.twitter.com/4j1UpviNuy</a></p>
<p>— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2047345125655785908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;They were kissing and they were all over each other,&#8221; an eyewitness told Page Six. &#8220;He had a ring on.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel, who has been married to his college sweetheart since 1999, was wearing his wedding ring during the New York rendezvous when Russini could be seen &#8220;in between [Vrabel’s] legs,&#8221; according to Page Six.</p>
<p>&#8220;They were having a glorious time. They were giving each other pecks, a bunch of pecks constantly,&#8221; the source told the outlet. &#8220;There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXfJUPrj8O4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div style="flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXfJUPrj8O4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Lynden Blake Balyo (@lyndenblake)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>In 2020, Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Russini was with ESPN, covering the Titans closely.</p>
<p>Someone close to the situation told The Daily Wire it was well known that the two had an off-the-field relationship during this time.</p>
<p>Page Six reached out to Vrabel and Russini for comment on the photos Wednesday, and while the pair didn&#8217;t respond, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48566969/mike-vrabel-seek-counseling-not-patriots-day-3-nfl-draft">ESPN</a> reported late Wednesday that the Patriots coach would be skipping day three of the NFL Draft Saturday to go to counseling.</p>
<p>&#8220;As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,&#8221; Vrabel said. &#8220;This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel told ESPN he plans to be with his wife, Jen, and their two sons outside of Massachusetts this weekend.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result,&#8221; Vrabel said.</p>
<p>The 50-year-old vaguely addressed the Arizona incident with Russini on Tuesday, when he informed reporters that he&#8217;s had &#8220;difficult conversations&#8221; with his family, players, and staff.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me,&#8221; he said during the press conference. &#8220;That starts with me.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/married-nfl-reporter-resigns-after-poolside-photos-with-coach-spark-scrutiny"><strong>RELATED: Married NFL Reporter Resigns After Poolside Photos With Coach Spark Scrutiny</strong></a></p>
<p>Russini resigned from her senior position with The Athletic on April 14, stating in her resignation letter that she was leaving not because she &#8220;accept[s] the narrative,&#8221; but because she was refusing to give it &#8220;further oxygen.&#8221;</p>
<p>The 43-year-old has been married to her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, since September 2020 — six months after the newly-released photos of Vrabel and Russini were taken.</p>


coach_sports_reporter

Patriots Coach Makes Promise As Smoochy Pics Add To Russini Drama

Dianni Russini

Mike Vrabel

News

NFL Draft

<p>Mike Vrabel addressed what he called &#8220;laughable&#8221; photos — of himself and now former NFL reporter Dianna Russini getting cozy in a bungalow in Arizona — on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the NFL draft.</p>
<p>The New England Patriots head coach has avoided the matter since <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/07/celebrity-news/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel/">Page Six</a> published the bombshell photos of Vrabel and Russini holding hands and hanging out in a hot tub together at an exclusive couples retreat in Sedona.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,&#8221; Vrabel said to open the April 21 press conference.</p>
<p>&#8220;I understand I could have, you know, addressed you guys sooner, but it was important to me to have a conversation with the players, which I did yesterday very candidly as we began our off-season program.&#8221;</p>
<p>The married father of two said he decided to address the photos because he didn&#8217;t want his players to have to answer questions about him before he could address the team. As he heads into his second season leading New England, Vrabel said he didn&#8217;t want the off-the-field drama to distract from the NFL Draft which starts Thursday in Pittsburgh. The Patriots have the 31st overall pick.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,&#8221; Vrabel said. &#8220;We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction &#8230; the comments and questions that I&#8217;ve answered for the team and with the team, we&#8217;ll keep those private and to ourselves. I care deeply about this football team and I&#8217;m excited to coach them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vrabel told the reporters this season he plans to attack each day with &#8220;humility&#8221; and &#8220;focus&#8221; while promising to be a better man.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can promise you, my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly, you will get the best version of me going forward,&#8221; Vrabel said.</p>
<p>As far as any disciplinary action for Vrabel&#8217;s personal interactions with Russini, who at the time of the March meet-up was an NFL reporter with The Athletic, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2026/04/20/mike-vrabel-dianna-russini-nfl-personal-conduct-policy-investigation/89700888007/">USA Today Sports</a> that Vrabel is not under investigation for any violation of the league&#8217;s personal conduct policy.</p>
<p>The policy, as it relates to non-NFL players, warns against &#8220;conduct that is illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others associated with the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL. We must endeavor at all times to be people of high character; we must show respect for others inside and outside our workplace; and we must conduct ourselves in ways that favorably reflect on ourselves, our teams, the communities we represent, and the NFL.&#8221;</p>
<p>Russini, a long-time NFL insider for NBC, ESPN, and most recently The Athletic, resigned from the New York Times-owned publication April 14 after it was revealed that her actions were under internal investigation.</p>
<p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/married-nfl-reporter-resigns-after-poolside-photos-with-coach-spark-scrutiny">Married NFL Reporter Resigns After Poolside Photos With Coach Spark Scrutiny</a></strong></p>
<p>Russini has been married to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020, and they share two children. Vrabel has been married to his college sweetheart since 1999.</p>
<p>When Vrabel was asked about Russini directly on Tuesday, he kept mum: &#8220;I respect and I appreciate every single question, but I’m not going to be able to comment on anything as it relates to that. I appreciate your job and what you guys have got to do, but I have to make my comments and what I answer about our football team.&#8221;</p>


Credit: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Mike Vrabel Mounts PR Campaign Ahead Of NFL Draft, Ignores Questions On Dianna Russini Photos

Scandal

Titans

<p>Mike Vrabel is executing a different type of defense this week as the New England Patriots coach and former Super Bowl champ responds to photos capturing him in a pool with veteran NFL reporter Dianna Russini.</p>
<p>Vrabel and Russini, both married, were caught holding hands, hugging, and lounging in the water recently at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel <a href="https://t.co/BpPD0ScwBQ">https://t.co/BpPD0ScwBQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/xrdqqmgDUC">pic.twitter.com/xrdqqmgDUC</a></p>
<p>— Page Six (@PageSix) <a href="https://twitter.com/PageSix/status/2041644814626615436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The pictures, first published by the New York Post&#8217;s Page Six, appear to show more than an off-the-record conversation between the NFL coach and the reporter for The Athletic, though both deny any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>&#8220;These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,&#8221; Vrabel told the <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/04/07/celebrity-news/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel/">Post</a>. &#8220;This doesn’t deserve any further response.&#8221;</p>
<p>A &#8220;Page Six Spy&#8221; reported Vrabel and Russini had breakfast on the patio of the Ambiente Sedona luxury resort on March 28 before hitting the pool and lounging together in a hot tub.</p>
<p>Russini&#8217;s representative says she was in Arizona on a girls&#8217; trip with a group of friends, though no one else is visible in the published images.</p>
<p>&#8220;The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,&#8221; Russini told The Post.  &#8220;Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.&#8221;</p>
<p>Russini, who worked for ESPN for years before joining The Athletic, has been married to Shake Shack exec Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020. The couple has two young sons.</p>
<p>Vrabel has been married for more than two decades. They have two sons; the oldest played for the Atlanta Falcons.</p>
<p>The Patriots coach and NFL insider have a long professional history, too. Before taking over in New England, Vrabel spent six seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, the team Russini regularly covered in Nashville during her time at ESPN.</p>
<p>The Athletic is standing by its senior NFL insider, who also hosts the &#8220;Scoop City: Inside the NFL&#8221; podcast.</p>
<p>&#8220;These photos are misleading and lack essential context,&#8221; Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, told The Post. &#8220;These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.&#8221;</p>
<p>After the weekend in Arizona, both Vrabel and Russini attended the NFL&#8217;s annual meetings in Phoenix.</p>
<p>Russini later filed a report to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7167284/2026/04/02/annual-nfl-coaches-photo-2026-edition-plus-no-1-qbs-pro-day/">The Athletic</a> about her interactions with NFL coaches in Arizona. The first line of the piece reads: &#8220;The NFL offseason means … controversial headlines.&#8221;</p>
<p>The NFL offseason drama now involving Vrabel and Russini continues as the league moves toward Draft Day later this month.</p>


Credit: Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire/Chris Graythen via Getty Images

‘It’s Laughable’: Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Downplays Poolside Photos With Married NFL Reporter

ESPN

The Athletic

Menu

Patriots

A Spotify Playlist We Can’t Pause: The Dianna Russini And Mike Vrabel Scandal

Patriots Coach Makes Promise As Smoochy Pics Add To Russini Drama

Mike Vrabel Mounts PR Campaign Ahead Of NFL Draft, Ignores Questions On Dianna Russini Photos

‘It’s Laughable’: Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Downplays Poolside Photos With Married NFL Reporter