New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has been married to his college sweetheart, Jen Vrabel, since 1999.
Mike made headlines after Page Six published photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini hugging and holding hands at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona, in March.
The NFL coach told Page Six that his interaction with Russini was “completely innocent,” while Russini told us that they were in a group of six, though multiple eyewitnesses told us that they didn’t see anyone with the two at the hotel.
Jen has yet to comment on the scandal.
Below, here’s everything you need to know about Mike’s wife for over two decades.
She went to Ohio State University
Jen attended Ohio State University, where she met her husband.
She made the first move after noticing Mike in class and got his phone number through their professor, according to the Tennessean.
She graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.
In April 2016, the couple made a $75,000 donation to their alma mater’s Woody Hayes Athletic Center Renovation Project, according to an OSU press release. The money was used to upgrade offices, the team locker room, the athletic training facility, the football equipment room, team meeting rooms and to improve a lounge area for student-athletes.
“We are excited to make this gift to the University,” Mike said. “Ohio State has had a great impact on the lives of my wife and me. The more we talked about it, the more obvious it became the right thing to do.”
She’s an athlete
Jen played volleyball at Ohio State University from 1993 to 1996, and was an accomplished player.
She was a two-time AVCA All-District selection as well as two-time All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Mike played football at OSU, where they presumably bonded over being student athletes.
He was also a standout player. He was a two-time All-American, three-time All-Big Ten and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree at OSU.
She married Mike in 1999
Jen and Mike tied the knot in 1999, after Mike started playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2024, the couple celebrated their milestone 25th wedding anniversary with a 10-day trip to Italy, according to the Athletic.
He also made a rare comment about Jen for the article published in January 2025, noting, “We find ourselves missing each other when we’re not together.”
Mike acknowledged his long marriage to Jen when he was introduced as the New England Patriots head coach in 2025. Mike told reporters at the time, “I want to thank Jen, who’s been along for this ride for quite a while.”
They have two sons together
Jen and Mike have two sons — Tyler, who was born on June 24, 2000, and Carter, who was born on Nov. 20, 2001.
Mike revealed he missed the birth of Carter in a press conference in January 2018.
“I’m not proud to say this, but I’m just going to tell you about my wife,” he said. “She gave birth to Carter, I missed it, I was at practice, she was in Ohio. He came early, he flipped, they had to take her.”
“I showed up four hours late because I was playing football and she was having a baby,” he continued. “I love her to death. She’s been through a lot and she understands this league.”
Mike also thanked his sons.
“They’ve been around the NFL locker room since they’ve been born,” he noted.
Not surprisingly, his sons also became student athletes.
Tyler played college football, attending Boston College. He’s currently a Coaching Assistant for the Boston College Football Program, working closely with the offensive line.
Meanwhile, Carter played baseball at Wabash Valley College and Tennessee Tech.
Mike admitted to having “difficult” conversations with his family following the Russini photo scandal
After Russini resigned from her position as Senior NFL Insider at the Athletic amid an investigation by the outlet — though she insisted that she didn’t do anything inappropriate — Mike broke his silence on April 21.
The coach admitted to having “difficult conversations” with his family during a pre-NFL draft press conference at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
“We believe in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,” he said.
“We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. There’s comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team, will keep those private and to ourselves.”
He also called the situation a “personal and private matter.”
“I care deeply about this football team, and I’m excited to coach them,” he said. “I also know that I’m gonna attack each day with humility and focus.”
“What I can promise you is my family, this organization, this team, the staff, the coaches and the fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward,” he concluded. “And that’s what I know and I’m excited to do that.”
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