Inside Mike Vrabel’s 24-hour emergency marriage summit with wife in Utah after Dianna Russini photo scandal

Said the Patriot's Head Coach, "I'm receiving intensive counselling to address the fear of intimacy issues I have with Jen* and to deal with the fact that I won't be getting any for a very long time. I'm ok with that. I've been a very bad boy".

*Apparently Vrabel has made considerable progress however, getting over intimacy issues with Ms Russini.

Inside Mike Vrabel’s 24-hour emergency marriage summit with wife in Utah after Dianna Russini photo scandal

By Teresa Roca, NY POst

Published April 29, 2026, 5:26 p.m. ET

Mike and Jen Vrabel flew to Park City, Utah, for an emergency 24-hour marriage summit — just days after Page Six published exclusive pics of the former athlete cozying up to NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a bar back in 2020.

We’re told that the New England Patriots head coach and his wife enjoyed dinner at an upscale Park City hotel restaurant around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, April 26.

“They were cordial and talkative, but not overly flirty,” a source exclusively told Page Six, noting that the couple “talked” and ate for around an hour and a half. “They seemed fine. It was a friendly, regular meal.”

The elegant restaurant, located inside a four-star Marriott-owned hotel, offers several gourmet entrees, ranging from a $123 Porter House for two to a Tomahawk Ribeye for $165. It also offers signature appetizers, such as seared ahi tuna ($24), to sizzling crab cakes ($32) and veal osso buco ($21).

Jennifer Vrabel, wife of the New England Patriots head coach, watches a game while wearing sunglasses and a white blazer over a hooded sweatshirt.

We’re told Mike and Jen (photographed above at Super Bowl 2026) enjoyed a “talkative” and “cordial” dinner at a Park City restaurant over the weekend.

Mike was photographed arriving at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Saturday, April 25. The flight happened mid-NFL Draft, as he previously announced he would be skipping Day 3 of the important Annual Player Selection Meeting, held in Boston, to seek counseling.

It’s believed he flew from Utah to Boston on Sunday, April 26, as he was back to work with the Patriots on Monday, April 27. Barstool owner Dave Portnoy reported that Mike attended a Q&A with Patriots season ticket holders upon his return, where he was greeted with a standing ovation by fans.

Meanwhile, Jen is understood to have flown into Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 25, from Nashville, where they own a home, and left on Tuesday, April 28.

Park City, Utah, has always been a special destination for the couple. Mike shared in a 2025 interview with the Athletic that they own a vacation home there, where they like to ski and celebrate the holidays.

The marriage summit comes after Page Six obtained exclusive photos of Mike and NFL journalist Russini getting cozy at a New York City bar in March 2020, as seen above.

Page Six previously reported that Mike appeared to keep a low profile while arriving at SLC Airport for the short trip, sporting a baseball cap, puffer vest, long-sleeved shirt, a backpack and his wedding ring.

As seen in the exclusive pics, he shopped at Hip & Humble, a store located inside the airport, where he purchased a blue loungewear set, presumably for his wife. We’re told Mike yanked the items off the rack and speed-walked to the register to check out.

Jen was seen browsing that same Hip & Humble airport store on Tuesday, April 28, and then headed to the Delta Sky Club before her return flight home, according to photos obtained by TMZ. She was still wearing her wedding ring.

Mike and Jen’s trip comes after Page Six exclusively obtained photos of the former Patriots linebacker, 50, and Russini, 43, holding hands and embracing at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28.

The two were spotted hanging out on a private rooftop of one of the hotel’s $2,160-a-night, two-person bungalows. They took in breathtaking views of the Brins Mesa mountain range, sharing a brief dance at one point, and were also photographed enjoying the pool area and taking a dip in the hot tub.

Another set of exclusive pics, published by Page Six on April 22, showed Mike and the sports reporter having breakfast on the patio of the hotel.

Mike and Russini insisted to Page Six that they were accompanied on the trip by friends at the time, despite multiple eyewitnesses telling us that no one else was there with them.

“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” the coach told us in a statement. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

After cooling off from their pool day, Mike and Russini were photographed hugging at sunset on a private rooftop of one of the hotel’s luxe bungalows.

Mike and Russini claimed to Page Six they were joined on the trip by friends, though multiple eyewitnesses told us no one else was with them.

© Page SIx

Russini added in a separate statement, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists, in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”

The Athletic — where Russini formerly worked as one of their top sports insiders — initially supported the journalist in a statement to Page Six. She officially resigned on April 14, just days after the first set of photos were published.

“This media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process the Athletic is trying to complete. It 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,” she explained in her resignation letter.

“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — 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.”

Mike later told ESPN that he would miss Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling amid the scandal.

AP

The Athletic has launched an investigation into the matter, which remains ongoing. The outlet’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, reportedly addressed the scandal on Wednesday while speaking to staff in an all-hands meeting, the first since Russini resigned.

Meanwhile, at an April 21 press conference ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Mike broke his silence on the scandal, saying he had some “difficult” but “positive” conversations with people he cares about, including his family, over the matter.

He told ESPN one day later that he would be missing Day 3 of the NFL Draft to seek counseling.

“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” he said. “In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”

On April 23, Page Six released another set of exclusive photos — this time of Russini and Mike hanging out at the Tribeca Tavern in New York City in the early hours of March 11, 2020.

In the photos, the two could be seen sitting close to each other in the dimly-lit bar, with the former Tennessee Titans coach appearing to lean in for a kiss at one point.

“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six. “He had a ring on.”

The two were “very close to each other” throughout the outing, our insider said, noting that they were at the “hole in the wall” bar around midnight and stayed for at least an hour.

“They were having a glorious time. They were [giving each other] pecks, a bunch of pecks, constantly,” the source shared. “There was nobody in there. Nobody knew who they were. I don’t even think the bartenders did.”

At the time the 2020 pics were snapped, Mike was head coach of the Titans while Russini was working as an NFL reporter for ESPN, who declined to comment on whether they’re initiating an investigation.

Mike was already married to his wife at the time, while Russini tied the knot with her now-husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, six months later. Both have two kids with their respective partners.

Russini and Mike did not comment on the 2020 photos when contacted by Page Six.