On Monday, the New York Post published photos taken of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel during the third day of the 2026 NFL draft. On Tuesday, TMZ took it to another level.
TMZ has posted a video taken by a “photographer” (who isn’t a TMZ employee), which included a stream of increasingly aggressive questions directed to Vrabel at the Salt Lake City airport on Saturday.
Here are the questions, regarding the aftermath of the publication of multiple sets of photos featuring Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini:
“How are you holding up, man?”
“Look, there’s been just a lot of talk that there’s just a little bit of a double standard here, and I just wanted your take on that.”
“Are you doing alright?”
“Are you powering through?”
“Are you and your wife hoping to work it out, Mr. Vrabel?”
“Look, I’m just gonna — I’ve got to say that there’s some talk that maybe you should step down. It’s a distraction to the Patriots. I wanted your opinion on that, sir.”
“What does accountability look like for you at this point? Sir? Head coach of the Patriots. Big distraction here. Sir, is there any comment at all?”
“Sir, do you have the support of the Patriots? Full support? Any comment? Anything to say to Patriot Nation, at all?”
Vrabel said very little during the exchange. The “photographer” was clearly trying to bait Vrabel into a verbal confrontation, or maybe more.
The message is that this may be the new normal for Vrabel, at least for now.
His wife, Jen, has become a target for the paparazzi, too. TMZ, in a separate item, has posted photos of her, taken Tuesday at the Salt Lake City airport.
Three weeks to the day after the initial photos of Vrabel and Russini were published by the Post, the situation continues to generate headlines. The initial denials surely fueled the effort to get more information.
At some point along the way, it crossed over into something that will attract significant attention — unless the story finally fizzles out.
