Mike Vrabel‘s wife, Jen Vrabel, was photographed for the first time since her husband’s friendship with NFL insider Dianna Russini sparked controversy.
In photographs published by TMZ on Tuesday, April 28, Jen was seen wearing a large ring on her wedding finger while walking through Salt Lake City International Airport earlier that day.
The outlet also published a video that shows Jen, who has been married to the New England Patriots head coach since 1999 and shares two sons with him, taking her phone out while waiting to check into her flight. The ring is also visible in the video.
The public sighting comes amid Mike, 50, returning to work after a weekend trip to Utah to attend counseling in light of multiple sets of photos that captured him enjoying time with sports journalist Russini, 43.
Mike announced his plans to attend counseling via a statement shared with ESPN on Wednesday, April 22. “As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” the statement read. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
It continued, “I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”
Mike Vrabel Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Page Six initially published a series of photos on April 7 that showed Mike and Russini, who is married to Kevin Goldschmidt, linking hands and sharing a hot tub at an Arizona resort one month prior.
After the photos circulated online, both Mike and Russini issued statements to the outlet. Mike’s statement read, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Jen Vrabel Billie Weiss/Getty Images
Russini’s read, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
One week after the photos were published, Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic.
Dianna Russini Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Just over one week later, on Thursday, April 23, Page Six published additional photos of the duo seemingly kissing in a New York City bar six years before the resort visit occurred. In the outlet’s second round of photos, Mike and Russini are seen sitting opposite one another on bar stools amid physical touches between one another.
