New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s wife, Jen Vrabel, is willing to work on salvaging their 27-year marriage following a public scandal involving NFL reporter Dianna Russini, but only if he demonstrates real change through counseling and prioritizes their family, according to people familiar with the situation.
The couple held an emergency 24-hour “marriage summit” in Park City, Utah, over the weekend, just days after photos surfaced showing Vrabel and Russini together at an Arizona resort and in other settings, including images from years earlier. Jen Vrabel returned alone to Boston on Tuesday, April 29, 2026, sources told the Daily Mail.
@robertlittalbso Reporter harrasses Mike Vrabel at Airport over Dianna Russini. #cheater #NFL #Sidechick
Vrabel, 50, and Jen Vrabel, who married in 1999 and have two children, have faced intense public scrutiny since the photos emerged. Vrabel skipped the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft to seek professional counseling and address the situation with his family.
“He is not out of the woods yet,” one insider told the Daily Mail. “This is a time of reflection. She is going to see if this will make them stronger or not.”
Another source close to the family described Jen Vrabel as “p***ed, embarrassed, and horrified” by the public attention but committed to the vow of “till death do us part.”
“As much as the trust has been broken, the ‘till death do us part’ is what she is trying to make work,” the source said. “She is leaning on the potential of getting back to a better place.”
The sources said Jen Vrabel wants to see whether Vrabel can become “the man she fell in love with” and put in the necessary work. She has no immediate plans to end the marriage but will reassess if he fails to follow through, they added.
Vrabel addressed the matter in an emotional news conference before the draft, taking accountability for actions that distracted his family and the team.
“I understand that there are questions, but 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 our fans,” he said. “My priorities are my family and this football team — and in that order — and there’s a balance there that I am going to create.”
Patriots officials have expressed support for Vrabel and said there are no plans to replace him as coach.
Russini, who covered Vrabel during his time as Tennessee Titans coach, resigned from The Athletic after an internal investigation. Both she and Vrabel initially described their interactions as part of a larger group setting.
The Vrabels have not issued public statements on the summit or the status of their marriage beyond Vrabel’s comments about seeking counseling.
Flip the pages for photos of Vrabel and Russini together.
