New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel became the subject of online commentary during the team's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, August 14, 2026. A viral clip of Vrabel making a dramatic spin move while tossing a red challenge flag during the game led many on social media to recall the scandal involving former NFL insider Dianna Russini.
The incident occurred at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots' official social media account posted a clip of the coach's emphatic flag toss, captioned "Vrabes yeeted that challenge flag." This prompted replies from users referencing an alleged affair between Vrabel and Russini, with one user commenting, "He yeeted his marriage in the offseason too."
In April 2026, Page Six reported on photos showing Vrabel, who is married to Jen Vrabel, and Russini, who is married to Kevin Goldschmidt, holding hands at a resort in Arizona. Both individuals have been married to their respective spouses since 1999 and have children. Russini resigned from The Athletic, where she worked as an insider, following the publication of the photos. The New York Times, The Athletic's parent company, has reportedly been investigating the matter.
Following the initial report of the photos, the Patriots organization expressed support for Vrabel, who took a leave to seek counseling with his family and missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft. He later returned to his coaching duties.
Vrabel's flag-throwing action came shortly after the league announced a rule change allowing head coaches to designate another staff member to throw challenge flags. However, Vrabel stated he has no plans to delegate this duty. "I don’t think that that’s new because I think that there are other people," Vrabel commented on the new rule. "I don’t know where this is getting so much traction. I think maybe it’s on a form now that it’s a designated person. The officials will normally ask us 90 minutes prior to the game.
"You have a meeting, and you go through who has the challenge flag, who’s the ‘get back’ coach, who’s the captains, who has a cast, running any trick plays, anything that we want to look for. They’ve always asked me who has the challenge flag, and I know that there’s been other players, or other people other than coaches. So I was kind of surprised that this got talked about. But, no, I’ll keep the challenge flag."
The Patriots and Colts game ended in a 13-13 tie. Earlier on Friday, the team had posted a video of Jon Bon Jovi, dressed as the team mascot, surprising Vrabel for his birthday.