NFL insists Vrabel-Russini scandal not considered in scheduling Patriots for 2026 kickoff game

The NFL considered aggregate factors successful scheduling its 2026 regular-season kickoff crippled with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and successful picking the New England Patriots arsenic the opponent, league executives importune the play surrounding the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini ungraded played nary portion successful their choice.

So, yes, the league would person america judge it did not earnestly measurement the sizeable elephant successful the room.

"Look, we focused connected the shot crippled and the scope of the Super Bowl, and that unsocial is an unthinkable story," NFL Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder said Friday during a league league call.

Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown successful a divided composite representation featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel connected the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)

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Schroeder made the constituent that the NFL didn't see the enduring play that has go a shadiness implicit the Patriots this offseason pursuing the work of photos showing their caput manager spending clip with the erstwhile newsman for The Athletic holding hands and embracing connected the extortion of a backstage bungalow astatine a Sedona, Ariz., resort.

Those photos and others that followed yet led to Russini resigning from her job, deleting each her societal media accounts, Vrabel being asked astir it aggregate times successful property conferences and missing the past time of the April draught successful bid to walk clip with his household successful Utah and get "counseling."

"How bash we present the champion crippled into the champion window?" Schroeder said, outlining the NFL's reasoning connected mounting a Super Bowl rematch arsenic its kickoff game. "And successful this case, it felt similar that rematch is going to beryllium the astir breathtaking erstwhile you tin commencement it retired of the box.

"...We liked the thought of truly celebrating the Seahawks, giving them a infinitesimal to commencement this twelvemonth to observe their past year. And truthful we similar the thought of opening connected NBC connected Wednesday, and truly utilizing that arsenic a accidental to observe the rematch, but observe the Seattle specifically."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands with the Vince Lombardi Trophy aft the Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots crippled astatine Levi's Stadium successful Santa Clara, California, connected Feb. 8, 2026. (Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

This, by the way, falls into enactment with the hands-off mode the NFL has viewed the full Vrabel-Russini scandal. The league said aboriginal connected that Vrabel was not taxable to the Personal Conduct Policy arsenic a effect of the photos and the rumors they created.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said astatine the NFL Draft that it was a nine substance for the Patriots to handle.

But portion the league is declining to get progressive successful immoderate mode (perhaps rightly so) different clubs aren't looking distant and neither are fans.

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It should beryllium noted that some the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings referenced the narration betwixt the manager and erstwhile newsman successful their docket merchandise videos connected Thursday evening, with the Chargers getting important attraction astir the league for their move.

The Patriots themselves suffered thing of an embarrassing clip connected their ain societal media relationship erstwhile they posted a Mother's Day salute connected Sunday.

Some fans successful the replies of that station pointed out, often successful colorful ways, the evident disconnect betwixt a squad lifting up moms portion its manager has possibly emotionally wounded the parent of his children.

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And this worldly is improbable to stop.

The Patriots are past the draught and docket release, and players being asked their sentiment astir their manager successful property conferences. It's besides improbable Vrabel volition proceed to beryllium quizzed astir the contented assuming nary caller photos oregon revelations go newsworthy.

But the Patriots volition beryllium playing preseason games and person 9 regular-season distant games successful 2026. Those volition springiness opposing fans the accidental to spoof New England's manager and the squad by hold astir the situation.

Unlike the NFL, those opposing fans mightiness not beryllium solely focused connected shot erstwhile reasoning astir the Patriots.

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