Dianna Russini’s former podcast cohost, Chase Daniel, broke his silence about her ongoing controversy with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
“Look, that’s something that’s unfortunate in many different ways,” Daniel, 39, told The Jim Rome Show on Thursday, May 14. “We haven’t really chatted about it. We haven’t done any of that, so I’m going to leave that there. That’s their business.”
He added of the scandal, “It has turned into quite the assignment of everything, it’s like TMZ is covering it, the Wall Street Journal, all these things are covering it, so I’m sure she’ll land on her feet somewhere and that’s all I’ll really say about that.”
“I can respect that,” host Jim Rome assured Daniel.
Daniel previously hosted the “Scoop City” podcast with Russini, 43, for The Athletic. The sports show went on hiatus in March and was later discontinued when Russini left the outlet.
In April, Page Six published photos of Russini and Vrabel together at an Arizona resort. Both are married to other people — Russini wed Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020, while the New England Patriots head coach, 50, has been married to his wife, Jennifer Vrabel, since 1999.
A flurry of other photos and videos of Russini and Mike together have been released in the wake of Page Six’s initial disclosure, including a shot of them allegedly kissing at a New York City bar in 2020 and riding on a Tennessee riverboat while the journalist was pregnant in 2021.
Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic on April 14, amid an internal review of her conduct.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini wrote at the time. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
The NFL insider added, “Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.”
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30,” she concluded. “I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Mike addressed the press ahead of the NFL Draft in April. (The Patriots had previously announced that Vrabel would miss the third day of the draft to seek therapy.)
“[This is] a private and personal matter,” he told reporters during an April 23 press conference. “I think that was an attempt to protect your family and I would never be dismissive. I think my family and this football team are the most important thing…I’m excited about the challenge with both of those things.”
More recently, Russini and Goldschmidt, 40, were photographed together for the first time since the controversy emerged. On Mother’s Day, May 10, Russini and Goldschmidt were seen hugging and kissing each other outside their New Jersey home.
