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

OutKick's own Armando Salguero breaks down Mike Vrabel's first public presser on the Dianna Russini controversy. There was NO denial, and is this Vrabel's last time talking about it?

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.

Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)

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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