Former Patriots Star Asante Samuel Gets Trolled For 'Faithful' Claim About Mike Vrabel

The biggest story in the NFL this offseason has revolved around former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.

Roughly a month ago, Page Six published photos of Russini and Vrabel spending time together at a hotel in Arizona. That caused quite the uproar since they're married to other people. Now fast forward to this Wednesday, and TMZ reported that Russini and Vrabel rented a boat in Tennessee back in June 2021.

"The timing of that outing might raise a few eyebrows, because Russini was pregnant at the time with her first child. Documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show both signed the company waiver before heading out on a lake … and our source says there was no visible PDA before they departed," TMZ reported. "We're also told Vrabel and Russini appeared cautious about photos being taken, and while she declined to pose at all with the staff … Vrabel agreed to snap one pic, but allegedly asked that no images be publicly posted."

After TMZ published this report, former NFL star Asante Samuel sent Vrabel some much-needed support on social media. The two-time Super Bowl champion and All-Pro cornerback was teammates with Vrabel in New England from 2003-2007.

"Vrabel is a faithful man," Samuel wrote on social media. "Whatever happened in the past is the past, as of today he is a faithful man. Move on."

This post from Samuel already has over 3.2 million views and over 3,000 responses. Though it's not a huge surprise, several NFL fans used his claim as a chance to make sarcastic comments online.

"The Miami Dolphins are a winning franchise," one person replied. "Whatever our playoff drought record is, is in the past. As of today, we are a winning franchise. Move on."

"Me convincing myself the season isn't lost when the Cardinals start 2-10," a second person said.

"I am a sober man. Whatever happened in the past is in the past, as of today I am sober. Move on," another person wrote.

"As of today, crocodiles are cuddly," another social media user said. "Past is the past. They're great pets."

Is Mike Vrabel on the hot seat?

According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, the Patriots don't plan on firing Vrabel.

"I would say at this point, it's definitely not in their plans to move on from Mike Vrabel," Breer said, via NESN. "I think if you look at the actions of Kraft Sports, I think it has been a month now since the photos came out. Almost everything has been done in an effort to protect his employment and to protect his team's image. If it's just continued drips and drabs that kind of continue to fill in the blanks of what we already know, then I think the Patriots just ride it out."

It's also worth noting that a few players on the Patriots, including Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, have voiced their support for Vrabel this offseason.

As of this moment, Vrabel is on track to coach the Patriots this fall.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM.