NFL insists Vrabel-Russini scandal not considered in scheduling Patriots for 2026 kickoff game
The NFL considered multiple factors in scheduling its 2026 regular-season kickoff game with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and in picking the New England Patriots as the opponent, league executives insist the drama surrounding the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal played no part in their choice.
So, yes, the league would have us believe it did not seriously weigh the sizeable elephant in the room.
"Look, we focused on the football game and the reach of the Super Bowl, and that alone is an incredible story," NFL Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder said Friday during a league conference call.
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Schroeder made the point that the NFL didn't consider the enduring drama that has become a shadow over the Patriots this offseason following the publication of photos showing their head coach spending time with the former reporter for The Athletic holding hands and embracing on the roof of a private bungalow at a Sedona, Ariz., resort.
Those photos and others that followed eventually led to Russini resigning from her job, deleting all her social media accounts, Vrabel being asked about it multiple times in press conferences and missing the last day of the April draft in order to spend time with his family in Utah and get "counseling."
"How do we deliver the best game into the best window?" Schroeder said, outlining the NFL's thinking on setting a Super Bowl rematch as its kickoff game. "And in this case, it felt like that rematch is going to be the most exciting when you can start it out of the box.
"...We liked the idea of really celebrating the Seahawks, giving them a moment to start this year to celebrate their last year. And so we like the idea of opening on NBC on Wednesday, and really using that as a chance to celebrate the rematch, but celebrate the Seattle specifically."
This, by the way, falls into line with the hands-off manner the NFL has viewed the entire Vrabel-Russini scandal. The league said early on that Vrabel was not subject to the Personal Conduct Policy as a result of the photos and the rumors they created.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the NFL Draft that it was a club matter for the Patriots to handle.
But while the league is declining to get involved in any way (perhaps rightly so) other clubs aren't looking away and neither are fans.
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It should be noted that both the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings referenced the relationship between the coach and former reporter in their schedule release videos on Thursday evening, with the Chargers getting significant attention around the league for their move.
The Patriots themselves suffered something of an embarrassing time on their own social media account when they posted a Mother's Day salute on Sunday.
Some fans in the replies of that post pointed out, often in colorful ways, the apparent disconnect between a team lifting up moms while its coach has perhaps emotionally hurt the mother of his children.
And this stuff is unlikely to stop.
The Patriots are past the draft and schedule release, and players being asked their opinion about their coach in press conferences. It's also unlikely Vrabel will continue to be quizzed about the issue assuming no new photos or revelations become newsworthy.
But the Patriots will be playing preseason games and have nine regular-season away games in 2026. Those will give opposing fans the opportunity to spoof New England's coach and the team by extension about the situation.
Unlike the NFL, those opposing fans might not be solely focused on football when thinking about the Patriots.