Mike Vrabel had one of the better coaching debuts anyone could ask for last season – a Super Bowl run with New England Patriots that nobody saw coming. But heading into the new season, the conversation around him has taken a very different turn. The Patriots open in Seattle on September 9, and now the question isn’t just about football. It’s about whether NBC, which holds the broadcast rights, will ask Vrabel directly about his off-field scandal involving reporter Dianna Russini.
Will NBC ask Mike Vrabel about Dianna Russini scandal before Patriots opener?
That’s what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer addressed on The Dan Patrick Show, and his answer was more nuanced than a simple yes or no. For Breer, it all comes down to timing – specifically, whether Mike Vrabel gives a real sit-down interview before September 9.“If he has actually sat down and addressed it in full, it’ll be easier for you, if you’re NBC, to just say ‘We’ve all moved on from that, he addressed it,'” Breer said.But if Vrabel stays quiet between now and opening night, NBC’s analysts walk into an uncomfortable situation.“If it’s still sitting out there as something that hasn’t been fully vetted or gone through in that sort of setting and you’re the first one to get a one-on-one since that happened,” Breer said, “then I think it becomes the elephant in the room if you don’t address it.”
How should NBC frame questions about Mike Vrabel’s personal life?
Breer, who also works with NBC Sports Boston, offered what he thinks is a workable approach. Don’t make it personal. Keep it grounded in football.“Like, how does it affect the way that you did your job in April and May, and June,” Breer said, outlining a possible line of questioning. “How did it affect your relationship with your players? You preached about family and welcomed so many people, spouses, and children into the building. Did this in any way affect your ability to do that?”It’s a smart frame. Ask about the job, not the relationship. Whether NBC actually goes there is another matter.
Why is NBC in such a difficult spot here?
The network isn’t just any broadcast partner. NBC holds an 11-year NFL deal worth roughly $2 billion a year. They air Sunday Night Football, and they’re the ones putting the Patriots-Seahawks opener on national television. That’s a lot of money tied to a league relationship that nobody wants to damage over an awkward pregame segment.Saturday Night Live, also under the NBC umbrella, has not touched the Russini-Vrabel story once in the four weeks since it broke. NFL fans have noticed. Social media has pointed it out repeatedly, and the silence from the network has been conspicuous enough to draw its own commentary.
Did the NFL put New England in the opener because of the scandal?
The league says no. When the schedule dropped, NFL Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder stated clearly that the Diann Russini situation had nothing to do with New England landing the opener. He credited the Super Bowl rematch angle and Seattle’s title celebration as the scheduling factors.That may be entirely true. But the timing still puts NBC in an awkward position they didn’t ask for.
Is the Russini-Vrabel Story Still Growing?
It hasn’t cooled off. New photos have surfaced over the past month. The Los Angeles Chargers took a subtle shot at the situation in their schedule release video, which fans picked up on immediately. The story has a life of its own at this point, and it shows no sign of fading before Week 1.If Vrabel addresses it publicly before September, NBC breathes easier. If he doesn’t, whoever has the mic that night faces a live television decision that no producer wants to script in advance.