The X account belonging to former NFL insider Dianna Russini was no longer visible as of Thursday evening, the same day explosive new photos emerged showing her kissing New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at a New York City bar six years ago. The dramatic social media deletion came as the Patriots head coach controversy reached a fever pitch hours before the NFL Draft.
Russini, 43, who resigned from The Athletic on April 14 rather than face a public inquiry, also made her Instagram account private as old social media posts resurfaced and fueled relentless online speculation.
The images published by Page Six show Vrabel and Russini at Tribeca Tavern in March 2020, where witnesses say they were “kissing and all over each other”. At the time, Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans and already married to his wife Jen, while Russini was engaged to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, whom she married six months later.
“They were having a glorious time. They were giving each other pecks, a bunch of pecks, constantly,” a witness told Page Six. “There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were”.
These photos fundamentally changed the narrative from a questionable recent encounter to evidence of a long-standing connection. The initial photos published April 7 showed the pair holding hands at an Arizona resort, which both downplayed as innocent professional interaction.
Vrabel, 50, addressed reporters before the draft’s first round, taking “accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people I care most about”. He announced he would miss Day 3 of the NFL Draft to seek counseling, a move the Patriots said they “fully support”.
“I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about. My family, this football team, the organization and the fans,” Vrabel said.
The scrutiny online became overwhelming for Russini. Social media users dug up old interviews where she asked Vrabel about his wife and revived baseless conspiracy theories about her son’s name. The commentary turned deeply personal, prompting her digital disappearance.
“Yall made Dianna Russini deactivate,” one user posted as her account vanished.
The NFL has stated it will not investigate Vrabel under its personal conduct policy. But the court of public opinion has delivered its own verdict as the story continues to unfold just as the league’s biggest offseason event takes center stage.
