Mike Vrabel’s hopes of maintaining a low profile have been dealt a major blow after the New England Patriots head coach received an untimely accolade on Tuesday.
Vrabel, 50, is currently seeking professional help amid claims that he had an affair with sports reporter Dianna Russini, who resigned from her job at The Athletic after Page Six released photos of her and Vrabel at a $2,500-a-night Arizona retreat.
The pair, who are both married with children, initially denied the affair allegations and insisted they were at the resort with a larger group when the snaps were taken.
However, Vrabel has since offered a groveling apology to his family and recently stepped away from the 2026 NFL Draft in order to focus on his counseling and maintain a low profile amid the ongoing saga.
Despite his best attempts, however, Vrabel has been thrust back into the spotlight after being named Boston Magazine’s latest cover star, following his inclusion on their ‘150 Most Influential Bostonians’ list which was revealed on Tuesday afternoon.
The embattled Patriots head coach appears on the front cover alongside his quarterback, Drake Maye, for the May edition of the magazine.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was named, alongside quarterback Drake Maye, as the most influential Bostonian by The Boston Magazine
Vrabel’s appearance on the magazine cover comes amid ongoing allegations that he had an affair with sports reporter Dianna Russini
In the cover photo, both Vrabel and Maye are beaming with smiles after being named as the joint-most influential Bostonians this year.
The Patriots duo beat out the likes of Massachusetts governor Maura Healey, Boston mayor Michelle Wu and CEO of Bank of America Brian Moynihan to the award.
There was no mention of Vrabel’s ongoing scandal in the magazine, however one section did credit the duo for showing ‘the city what it looks like to overcome adversity – on the field and off’.
In the latest twist to the Patriots head coach’s ongoing saga, online sleuths believe they have uncovered a Spotify playlist that Russini made for Vrabel during a low moment in his NFL coaching career.
The revelations came to light on Monday night and appear to show Russini put together the playlist, named ‘TURNIN THE PAGE’ on December 19, 2022.
That was just a day after Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans team had slumped to their fourth defeat in a row, against the Los Angeles Chargers. They’d also lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars in the weeks before.
A screenshot shows 18 songs on the playlist, but only 15 are visible, and Russini shared it with just one person, whose name is ‘Mike’.
Later it was alleged that Vrabel changed his Spotify username from ‘Mike’ to ‘Tycar’, which some have pointed out is a mashup of his son’s names – Tyler and Carter.
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, for over two decades and they have two children
Dianna Russini married fast food executive Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 during the pandemic
The playlist includes songs from Beyonce, P!nk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses, KISS and Def Leppard. It appeared to have been deleted hours later. Last week, Russini also shut down her X account.
Russini, 43, resigned from her job at The Athletic earlier this month amid bombshell allegations she had an affair with Vrabel, 50. The pair, who are both married with children, have denied the allegations.
Page Six first published pictures of Russini fraternizing with the New England Patriots head coach at a $2,500-a-night adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28.
They can be seen hugging, lounging poolside and laughing together at the retreat in the images, and they were also spotted having breakfast ‘alone’ that same morning.
Other photos emerged last week appearing to show the pair looking cozy at a New York bar back in 2020, when Vrabel was the coach of the Titans.
Vrabel has issued a groveling apology to his family and agreed to seek counseling over the scandal, which saw him miss the final day of last week’s NFL Draft. He was back with the team on Monday, however.
Mike Vrabel issued a groveling apology to his family just before the NFL Draft got underway on Thursday night following claims he had an affair with reporter Dianna Russini
Russini’s only public comment has been the statement she gave after leaving The Athletic, in which she denied the allegations.
As the Daily Mail previously reported, the New York Times – the parent company of The Athletic – launched an investigation into the photos when contacted by Page Six after the Russini-Vrabel interaction in Sedona.
She was later placed on leave, the Daily Mail learned, before ultimately resigning from her position. Her contract was reportedly set to expire at the end of June.
A bombshell ESPN report claimed Russini was given the chance to clear her name by the Times, yet she failed to do so.
