{"id":234502,"date":"2026-04-14T21:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/dianna-russini-resigns-amid-mike-vrabel-cheating-scandal-will-patriots-coach-step-down-next\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T21:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T21:18:14","slug":"dianna-russini-resigns-amid-mike-vrabel-cheating-scandal-will-patriots-coach-step-down-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/dianna-russini-resigns-amid-mike-vrabel-cheating-scandal-will-patriots-coach-step-down-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Dianna Russini Resigns Amid Mike Vrabel Cheating Scandal: Will Patriots Coach Step Down Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Last week, we reported on cheating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/04\/mike-vrabel-married-new-england-patriots-coach-spotted-holding-hands-with-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allegations surrounding Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The New England Patriots coach and the NFL journalist \u2014 both of whom are married to other people \u2014 were spotted hugging and holding hands while they were both in Arizona for team meetings in March.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Russini has stepped down from her job at the <em>New York Times<\/em>-owned sports media outlet <em>The Athletic<\/em>, and many are wondering if Vrabel will be next to resign from his post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"737\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-1024x737.jpg\" alt=\"Dianna Russini attends Michael Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl party at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.\" class=\"wp-image-552823 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-1024x737.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-768x553.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-2048x1474.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-960x691.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-1080x777.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-1200x864.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2063090768-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dianna Russini attends Michael Rubin\u2019s Fanatics Super Bowl party at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Russini reportedly issued her resignation on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s important to note that in her statement on the subject, she did not admit to any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,\u201d Russini wrote, per <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russini-vrabel-0e0006364d9d31f8e0fec65ecfb937c0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.<\/p>\n<p>Russini insists that she is stepping down due to the \u201cmedia frenzy\u201d surrounding her case, and not because of any wrongdoing on her part.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Tennessee Titan's Head Coach Mile Vrabel speaks on stage to the crowd during SiriusXM Hosts Draft Week Party At Margaritaville Featuring The Highway's &quot;Music Row Happy Hour&quot; And SiriusXM NFL Radio's &quot;Movin' The Chains&quot; on April 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.  \" class=\"wp-image-552824\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Tennessee Titan's Head Coach Mile Vrabel speaks on stage to the crowd during SiriusXM Hosts Draft Week Party At Margaritaville Featuring The Highway's &quot;Music Row Happy Hour&quot; And SiriusXM NFL Radio's &quot;Movin' The Chains&quot; on April 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.  \" class=\"wp-image-552824 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-640x960.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-800x1200.jpg 800w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1139165206-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tennessee Titan\u2019s Head Coach Mile Vrabel speaks on stage to the crowd during SiriusXM Hosts Draft Week Party At Margaritaville Featuring The Highway\u2019s \u201cMusic Row Happy Hour\u201d And SiriusXM NFL Radio\u2019s \u201cMovin\u2019 The Chains\u201d on April 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.  <span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo by Jason Davis\/Getty Images for SiriusXM)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMoreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete,\u201d she said, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cRather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now \u2014 before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NBC Sports\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/dianna-russini-resigns-from-the-athletic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pro Football Talk<\/a> speculates that Russini may have made the decision to step down because she sensed that her contract would not be renewed either way.<\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the case, but it is quite unusual to resign while maintaining that you\u2019ve done nothing wrong,<\/p>\n<p>Vrabel has yet to publicly respond to today\u2019s events.<\/p>\n<p>We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/04\/dianna-russini-resigns-amid-mike-vrabel-cheating-scandal-will-patriots-coach-step-down-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 2 minutes Last week, we reported on cheating allegations surrounding Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini. The New England Patriots coach and the NFL journalist \u2014 both of whom are married to other people \u2014 were spotted hugging and holding hands while they were both in Arizona for team meetings in March. Now, Russini [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-234502","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}