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Mike Vrabel and AJ Brown were winning on Tuesday because the long-talked-about trade that brought them together was finally over. Brown was free from his recent discontent with the Philadelphia Eagles, while Vrabel talked easily and intelligently about how his Super Bowl team was improving.
It was a nice victory lap for everyone.
Except Dianna Russini.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates after the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High in Denver, Colorado on January 25, 2026. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
MIKE VRABEL BREAKS HIS SILENCE ON DIANNA RUSSINI CONTROVERSY
Yes, it’s as much about her as it is about Vrabel and Brown. These three names will be linked for a long time in NFL circles based on what happened through September 2025 and then certainly during this offseason which was about, well, the relationship between coach and reporter.
If you are not aware of this relationship, you have homework. And you’ll probably catch up easily because the reference material is everywhere – the photos of Russini and Vrabel together, the denials of anything untoward between two married people, the collapse of the professional friendship narrative, and everything that follows.
So, for the uninitiated, you are excused. Go now and read the first chapters of the series. Because this is perhaps the end of the saga, barring a major surprise.
And let me go to this end:
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown walks on the field during an NFL training camp in Philadelphia on July 29, 2025. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
Brown wins. In fact, he’s completely unscathed and happy as a clam with a new team he grew up loving.
Vrabel wins too. Yes, he’s taken a few bumps, endured humiliating moments in front of reporters and had family conversations that he described as “very difficult,” but he’s ultimately no worse for wear.
And then there is Russini. She lost. A great moment.
FORMER NFL JOURNALIST MICHELE TAFOYA EXPOSES WHY RUSSINI’S CREDIBILITY IS GONE
It was sad to see the press from Vrabel because it was Russini who first reported that teams were calling the Eagles about Brown in September 2025. She first reported that the Eagles were not interested in trading Brown.
Russini called it quits when she told everyone the Patriots were interested (so were the Los Angeles Rams, for that matter). And she was right again when she said earlier this year that Brown wouldn’t be traded when the league year begins in March, but watch out for June.
She was dead on point in almost all of this.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are pictured in a split composite image showing Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
But everyone assumed that all this information came from his relationship with Vrabel. All of this inside work came from other alleged inside work.
Russini’s information was excellent, but the way she apparently obtained it ultimately led her to resign from The Athletic. And tarnish his professional reputation.
Losses.
MIKE VRABEL WALKS AWAY INDEFINITELY TO ASK FOR ADVICE
Vrabel? He seemed fine on Tuesday.
The hardest thing he had to do was answer a question about Brown’s obvious unhappiness last year in Philadelphia.
“I don’t know what happened,” Vrabel said. “I’m not trying to understand what happened in Philadelphia. I’m trying to focus on what’s going to happen here and trying to get him used to what we do and how we do it.”
Vrabel, during this press conference, congratulated a journalist for winning a marathon. He thanked executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf for making the trade possible. And he answered a bunch of questions about football.
Dianna Russini attends the Fanatics Super Bowl Party 2026 at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California on February 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
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There was no question whether, for months, he had actually disclosed to Russini details about where negotiations between the Patriots and Eagles were taking place. Not a single question about how his family “counseling” sessions went or whether his marriage is certain to survive.
There was nothing uncomfortable as it seemed the local media lost interest or curiosity the day the story that Russini had been beating them on for months was revealed to them.
And the thing is, if Vrabel didn’t have to sweat this time, he’s probably out of danger. He’s unlikely to be asked tough questions about this whole affair again (pardon the pun) unless more facts come to light that bring the issue back from the grave.
So yes, Mike Vrabel survived. He won.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
