Dianna Russini returns to the Patriots and Mike Vrabel's life: “She killed everything about our team"
Vrabel’s New England Patriots are 0-3 since news of his alleged affair with the reporter emerged.
The New England Patriots ' difficult start to the 2026 NFL season has taken another turn after their 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars , with one media personality blaming the controversy involving Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel for disrupting the team.
New England looked nothing like the team that reached the Super Bowl last season as Drake Maye endured another difficult afternoon as he lost one of two fumbles and threw two interceptions before being removed in the fourth quarter.
Maye now has one touchdown pass and six interceptions through three games, a dramatic contrast to his 31 touchdown passes and eight interceptions during the Patriots ' run to the final game of the previous season.
Those problems have put Maye and Vrabel under growing scrutiny, but Barstool Sports' Harry Settel believes another figure remains central to the team's turmoil.
“I think Dianna Russini killed our team,” Settel said on the Son of a Boy Dad podcast. “I really do, and I know that might not be the popular take, but I really think she killed everything about our team. But obviously, it’s not just her. It’s Vrabel as well.”
The controversy surrounding Russini and Vrabel became one of the defining stories around the Patriots during the offseason, notably because the pair were both married across the period.
Photographs and accounts cited in coverage of the pair fueled speculation about the nature of their relationship and created an ongoing distraction around the Patriots , which followed Vrabel into the buildup to the season.
With questions about the alleged relationship repeatedly competing with football storylines, as well as questions of sporting and journalistic integrity due to the risk of inside information behind shared, both have denied the allegations.
The New York Times had discovered the pair's relationship and documented interactions between Russini and Vrabel dating back several years – including times when the reporter was even pregnant.
Patriots receive A. J. Brown boost as on-field slump continues
The Patriots are also lacking A.J Brown after he suffered a high ankle sprain against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve. He is eligible to return from Week 4 but that now seems unlikely, although New England did receive encouraging injury news.
The team picked Brown up from the Philadelphia Eagles before signing him to a $96 million contract, which comes with $84m guaranteed and also a hefty price in terms of draft capital as the team surrendered a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick.
His eventual return could provide Maye with a major offensive weapon as the Patriots continue to struggle, and according to Brian Hines he was seen walking through the locker room without an apparent limp.
Brown can technically return in Week 6, although his availability will depend on his recovery.
