Sports journalist Dianna Russini was photographed kissing her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, during a Mother’s Day outing in New Jersey, images published Monday by the New York Post showed — the couple’s first public appearance together since a series of photos involving Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel sparked widespread scrutiny.
The new images, which began circulating online, show Russini and Goldschmidt embracing and sharing a kiss. An insider told Page Six the family has been “very resilient” amid recent attention. Neither Russini nor Goldschmidt immediately responded to requests for comment.
Russini, 43, and Goldschmidt, a Shake Shack executive, married in September 2020 and have two young sons. The Mother’s Day photos come weeks after Page Six published images from an Arizona resort in late March showing Russini and the married Vrabel holding hands, hugging and spending time together poolside and in a hot tub. Russini and Vrabel both initially denied any romantic relationship, with Vrabel calling the images a “completely innocent interaction.” He later contradicted himself by stepping away from team duties to seek counseling for his actions and has been working to make things right with his wife, according to people close to the situation. Russini never produced proof that anyone else was at the resort with them, despite suggestions the outing involved other people.
Further photos later surfaced, including images from a March 2020 New York City bar outing — taken six months before Russini’s wedding to Goldschmidt — that appeared to show the pair kissing and being affectionate. Additional images from a 2021 boat rental (while Russini was pregnant) and a 2024 Mississippi casino meetup have also circulated.
Russini resigned from her role at The Athletic in mid-April amid an internal review of her relationship with Vrabel, whom she had covered as an NFL reporter. The Athletic is owned by The New York Times.
In the wake of the scandal, several of Russini’s old social media posts and on-air comments about her marriage to Goldschmidt resurfaced online and drew renewed attention. In one 2021 segment on ESPN’s “Get Up,” she referred to herself as “married to someone average” and joked about not over-posting about her husband. Other clips included lighthearted but pointed remarks about marital dynamics, including a Barstool game appearance alongside Vrabel in which she answered a question about “something a man might do to get a woman in the mood” by saying to “close your eyes” when having sex with one’s spouse. She deleted her X account last month as the commentary intensified.
Russini, a veteran NFL insider who previously worked at ESPN, has described some of the attention as sexist. No further details about the Mother’s Day outing or the couple’s response to the resurfaced comments were immediately available.
Flip the pages for photos of Russini and Vrabel all over each other.
