Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini were seen smiling and interacting at a Mississippi casino just three weeks after Vrabel was fired, according to photos obtained by TMZ Sports and published Wednesday.
A witness captured the images of Vrabel and Russini at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi shortly before midnight on Jan. 31, 2024. The pair appeared comfortable as they drank, chatted with other gamblers and moved between tables, the report said. Vrabel left a roulette table to play blackjack, and Russini followed and sat across from him. No public displays of affection were observed, the witness told TMZ.
Vrabel was dismissed by the Titans on Jan. 9, 2024, after the team finished the 2023 season with a 6-11 record — its second straight losing campaign. He had led the franchise to the AFC Championship Game in his first season in 2019 and to the playoffs in each of the next two years before the team’s performance declined.
The resurfaced photos come as Vrabel, now head coach of the New England Patriots, and Russini, a former NFL insider for The Athletic, face renewed scrutiny over their relationship. Russini resigned from The Athletic last week amid reports of more recent photos showing the pair together at an Arizona resort.
Both were married to other people at the time of the 2024 casino sighting. Vrabel has previously downplayed speculation about the relationship as “laughable.”
A witness tells us they snapped the pic when they recognized Vrabel … and assumed at the time that the woman by his side was his wife based on their body language. They didn’t realize until the recent bombshell news that the lady was actually Russini.
Vrabel is scheduled to miss the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft while seeking counseling and spending time with family, the Patriots said in a statement. The team described the situation as a personal matter and said operations would continue as usual.
The casino encounter adds to earlier reports of the pair together, including photos published by Page Six of them at a New York City bar in 2020.
Vrabel, 50, played 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the New England Patriots, before beginning his coaching career. He spent 2024 as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns before taking over as Patriots head coach in 2025.
Russini previously worked as an NFL insider for ESPN and The Athletic.
Flip the pages for all the photos of Russini and Vrabel.
