The New England Patriots wanted to celebrate Mike Vrabel’s birthday, but the NFL fans quickly turned the occasion into another round of jokes about Dianna Russini.
New England wished its head coach a happy 51st birthday on Friday, sharing a photo of Vrabel on social media. The message was simple, but the replies were not. Several users immediately referenced the controversy that followed Vrabel throughout the offseason.
NFL Fans Bring Up Dianna Russini on Mike Vrabel’s Birthday
“Happy birthday Coach Vrabes,” the Patriots wrote in theirbirthday post.
One fan responded with the line that captured the tone of many replies.
“I wonder what Dianna Russini got him,” the userwrote on X.
Another fanjoked on X, “Hope he’s celebrating it with his favorite reporter!” A third asked on X whether Vrabel was “going to take a guys’ trip to Sedona to celebrate his birthday?”
The Sedona reference traces back to the photos that made Vrabel and Russini one of the NFL’s biggest offseason stories. Images published by Page Six in April showed the Patriots coach and then reporter for The Athletic together at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. Both Vrabel and Russini said that the images lacked important context surrounding their interaction.
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The fallout continued well beyond the initial photos. Russiniresigned in April, while Vrabel briefly stepped away from the Patriots during the NFL Draft to seek counseling. However, the NFL did not discipline Vrabel.
Vrabelrecently addressed questions about the counseling during Patriots training camp, but he kept his response focused on improvement within the organization rather than details about his personal life.
That history made the Patriots’ birthday post an easy target for fans still following the situation.
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“I’m sure Dianna sent him a nice gift,” another userwrote on X.
One fan simplywrote on X, “Happy Birthday Coach!” but shared an AI-generated photo of Vrabel and Russini celebrating the birthday.
The Russini jokes were prominent enough to show that the story remained attached to Vrabel months after the original controversy.
Vrabel Has Given Patriots Plenty to Celebrate
Vrabel turned 51 one day after New England opened its preseason by tying the Indianapolis Colts at 13 at Gillette Stadium.
His return to New England has already produced a dramatic turnaround. The Patriots finished with 14 wins and three losses in Vrabel’s first season as head coach after winning four games the year before. They won the AFC East and reached Super Bowl LX before losing 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks.
Vrabel was named AP NFL Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also has deep ties to the franchise from his playing days, winning three Super Bowls with New England.
The Patriots even produced abirthday video featuring messages from team owner Robert Kraft, players, and Bon Jovi.
For a coach with that much history in Foxborough, there was plenty for New England to celebrate. Fans, however, made sure one of the offseason’s most talked-about stories found its way into the birthday wishes too.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.