Latest / The Sports Hangover Daily / Vrabel's Sedona Hot Tub Scandal Has the NFL Losing It | Apr 9, 2026
Transcript
- Mike Vrabel's out here in a Sedona hot tub with an NFL reporter while both of them are married, and somehow that's not even the only wild story from last night. Buckle up. Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Alright, we gotta start with the NFL story that has the entire internet losing its mind. Page Six dropped photos of Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic's NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona. We're talking poolside, hot tub, rooftop deck — and in a couple of the shots, they're holding hands and hugging. Both are married. To other people. This was apparently back on March 28th, when Vrabel was in the area for a scouting visit at Arizona State, near the NFL's annual meetings in Phoenix. Now look — Vrabel says the interaction was "completely innocent" and any suggestion otherwise is "laughable." Russini says there were six people hanging out that day and the photos lack context. The Athletic's executive editor backed her up, called the photos "misleading." But here's the problem — witnesses at the resort told Page Six they didn't see anyone else around. One person literally said, "No, he was with a girl." So you've got a he-said, she-said, witnesses-said situation, and none of the stories line up. This is the guy who just coached the Patriots back to the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. Lost to Seattle 29-13, sure, but he had that franchise relevant again. And now instead of talking about the draft, we're talking about hot tubs in Sedona. I'm not here to play marriage counselor, but from a pure football standpoint — this is a distraction the Patriots absolutely do not need two weeks before the draft. And for Russini, who's one of the most connected reporters in the league, the credibility questions are gonna be brutal. This story isn't going away. Let's get to the NBA, because Wednesday night was loaded. The Thunder clinched the number one overall seed with a blowout of the Clippers, and Chet Holmgren was the reason. Chet went for 30 and 14 — shot ten of thirteen from the field — and had 24 of those points in the FIRST HALF. That is disgusting efficiency. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 and 11 assists before sitting the entire fourth quarter, and by the way, that's now 141 consecutive games with at least 20 points for SGA. A record. Oklahoma City is 64 and 16, winners of seven straight and 19 of their last 20. They've got the best record in basketball for the third year in a row. Kawhi had 20 for the Clippers but it didn't matter. This Thunder team is a wagon. Over in Detroit — Cade Cunningham is BACK. The man had a collapsed lung, came back, and casually dropped 13 and 10 assists in a 137-111 demolition of the Bucks. Detroit's sitting at 57 and 22 as the East's top seed. That's the best record in the conference. And getting Cade healthy right before the playoffs? That's massive for them. Denver keeps rolling too. Jamal Murray put up 26, Jokic had a triple-double — 14, 15, and 10 — and the Nuggets won their TENTH straight, 136-119 over Memphis. The Spurs handled Portland 112-101 behind 25 from De'Aaron Fox, and San Antonio is now 18 and 2 in their last 20. Wembanyama sat with a rib contusion, but they didn't need him. And Devin Booker went for 37 in a Suns win over Dallas, 112-107. Phoenix is fighting for their playoff lives in the play-in, and Book is not going quietly. Quick NFL draft note — Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at number one is a done deal. The odds are at minus twenty thousand. That's not a bet, that's a tax. Mendoza's skipping the draft to watch with family in Miami — his mom has been battling MS for over 15 years and uses a wheelchair, so yeah, completely understandable. Kirk Cousins already watched film with him this week and said Fernando's "going to be a great addition." I love that Cousins is being a pro about this. He knows what's coming. Also, De'Von Achane didn't show up to voluntary workouts in Miami. He wants a new deal, the Dolphins reportedly want to keep it around 12 to 13 million a year, and Achane's camp is pushing closer to 14 and a half. After 1,350 rushing yards, 5.7 yards per carry, and a Pro Bowl — he's got leverage. Chicago's already sniffing around a trade. Here's my Hangover Take for today. The Detroit Pistons are the most dangerous team nobody's talking about. 57 and 22. Best record in the East. Cade Cunningham just came back from a collapsed lung and immediately looked like the best player on the floor. They blew out the Bucks by 26. And when I look at the Eastern Conference bracket — Boston's older, Cleveland's inconsistent, the Knicks are the Knicks — I genuinely think Detroit has the best shot to come out of the East. I know that sounds crazy for a team that won 14 games two years ago. But this roster is deep, they're young, they're hungry, and they've got a closer in Cade who literally almost died this season and came back like nothing happened. If you're sleeping on the Pistons, you're gonna wake up in June wondering what happened. That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.