New documents and eyewitness details published by TMZ Sports on Thursday allege New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini rented a private boat together in Putnam County, Tennessee, in June 2021 — a previously unreported episode that adds to a growing timeline of encounters between the two. The outlet says the outing occurred while Vrabel was still the Tennessee Titans’ head coach and that the pair were the only people on board for a two- to three-hour rental.
TMZ published images of company waivers it said the two signed before boarding, with what appear to be their signatures visible on the forms. A source with direct knowledge told the outlet there was no overt public display of affection before the boat left, and that both appeared cautious about photos being taken. Russini, the report said, declined a staff request for a photograph; Vrabel reportedly agreed only on the condition that any image not be published.
The account also says Russini was pregnant at the time of the alleged boating trip. A week after the June 2021 outing, she posted an Instagram photo from a New Jersey beach that TMZ said appeared to show her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt — the two married in 2020 and share children. Vrabel and his wife, Jen, whom he married in 1999, also have two children.
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The new boat allegation comes amid intensified scrutiny of Vrabel and Russini after photos published in April showed the coach and the former Athletic reporter together at a luxury Arizona resort in March 2026. Additional images that have surfaced over recent weeks include shots of the pair at a casino in 2024 and, dating back further, photographs from 2020 that show them kissing at a New York City bar. Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14 as the outlet reopened an internal review into her conduct.
Vrabel missed a day of the 2026 NFL draft to attend what he described as counseling and publicly acknowledged his role in producing a distraction for his family and team. “I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about,” he said on April 23, adding that his priorities are “my family and this football” in that order. The NFL has said it will not discipline Vrabel, with league spokesman Brian McCarthy telling PEOPLE in April that no violation of the personal conduct policy had been found.
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PEOPLE and other outlets say Vrabel’s agent and Russini were contacted for comment; TMZ did not indicate whether either responded to requests tied to the boat report. The newly reported 2021 episode does not itself change the league’s stated position, but it extends the chronology of encounters between the coach and the reporter that have drawn sustained public and media attention over the past month.
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