NFL coaches feel like they are “under surveillance” more than ever heading into the 2026 season. And they have one person to blame for that, in their mind: Mike Vrabel.
The New England Patriots head coach was photographed hanging out with NFL insider Dianna Russini on multiple occasions. The first photos of their get-togethers leaked earlier this year, when they were spotted at an adults-only resort in Arizona. Following that scandal, more photos and videos leaked of their time together.
Russini has since resigned from her position at The Athletic, while Vrabel has remained with the Patriots. However, the head coach, fresh off a loss in Super Bowl 60, did admit to going to marriage counseling during the NFL Draft.
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While Russini has remained out of the public eye since the scandal, NFL coaches feel like they are constantly “under surveillance.”
“All the coaches are under surveillance right now, all the (expletive) with Vrabel,” one assistant coach from another NFL team told ESPN in a new feature story.
NFL coaches have reportedly told female reporters that they are uninterested in being seen with them in public, given the possible optics.
“It’s the insinuation; you gotta watch yourself because players, coaches, people are looking at you, like ‘Are you in a relationship?’” another coach said.
“That is the trickle-down effect. Just imagine you’ve been working all day, 14, 16 hours, and you get to come home and your wife says, ‘Hey, did you see this?’ …. It creates the perception of, OK, this is what coaches are doing when we’re out of town or playing away games.”
Both Vrabel and Russini declined to comment on ESPN’s story.
The 2026 NFL regular season begins on Wednesday night, when the Seahawks take on the Patriots.
