The Boston media machine is catching flak for what many see as a kid-gloves approach to the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal. Critics argue that instead of grilling the Patriots head coach, local outlets have tiptoed around the story—and one veteran reporter is calling them out.
Mike Felger, a longtime Boston radio personality, didn't hold back on the Awful Announcing Podcast this week. When asked if the Boston media had done a good job covering Vrabel's extramarital affair, his answer was blunt: “No.”
The scandal erupted after photos surfaced of Vrabel and NFL insider Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort in Arizona. The images, along with leaked snaps from previous rendezvous, forced Vrabel to leave the NFL Draft early for what has been described as an emergency marriage summit with his wife, Jen. Jen Vrabel Called Emergency Marriage Summit After Husband's Scandal.
Vrabel later apologized publicly, saying he had committed to counseling. “I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me,” he said. “This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person.”
But while Vrabel faced paparazzi at the airport, Felger argues the local press corps has been far too gentle. He doesn't blame beat reporters for avoiding tough questions—they have to maintain relationships with the team. But he says the outlets themselves have failed.
“If a newspaper doesn't want their Patriots reporter to go down there and ask the questions, I get it,” Felger said. “Then send somebody else! Send somebody from the lifestyle section, send somebody from the news section.”
Felger pointed to a deeper problem: shrinking newsrooms. “The outlets don't even have the guy or the girl or the columnist or the reporter anymore to go cover it,” he said. “These outlets and these mediums are struggling. Do you want to sell the newspaper or not?”
He called the lack of aggressive coverage “predictable” and “sad,” blaming a broader de-staffing of local traditional media and a shift in mindset. “I don't know if these places have the same mentality,” Felger added. “I think they're just hanging on for dear life and have sort of dropped the thing about getting the story.”
The Patriots' faithful have shown they're not ready to abandon Vrabel. Patriots Faithful Deliver Thunderous Message to Mike Vrabel Amid Scandal—but the media's soft touch has left many fans and observers wondering if the fourth estate has lost its edge. Meanwhile, Vrabel and the team are barreling ahead toward the 2026 season, scandal in the rearview mirror but questions still lingering.
