From Sideline to Spotlight: Mike Vrabel Faces Celebrity Frenzy

The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini story has turned into a feeding frenzy, with paparazzi hounding the Patriots coach in public and salacious years-old photos of the duo hanging out in casinos and dimly lit nightspots . For now, at least, Vrabel’s “new normal” is being stalked like a Hollywood celebrity caught in a scandal, notes ProFootballTalk . If that’s the case, the Patriots coach might want to employ some techniques that celebrities use to protect their image and reputation.

Front Office Sports spoke with two private security experts who work with NFL clients. John Scutellaro is the founder of PlayerProtect, which works with the Giants and Jets. Kent Moyer is the founder of The World Protection Group, which counts NFL owners, CEOs, and political dignitaries among its global clients.

They shared their thoughts with Front Office Sports on how Vrabel and the Patriots can handle the media firestorm and what the NFL can do to mitigate this image disaster. Among their suggestions: Lay Low If Vrabel thinks he can waltz around in public without bodyguards, he should think again. The 50-year-old coach is now a walking cash register for professional paparazzi and opportunistic amateurs looking to make a buck.

On Saturday, a solo Vrabel was confronted with Russini questions by an aggressive “photographer” at the Salt Lake City Airport. TMZ Sports also published pics of his wife, Jen Vrabel , wearing her wedding ring, along with the blaring headline, “Wife Still Hasn’t Taken Ring Off!!! ” Other paparazzi employ drones, or so-called “drone-arazzi” to obtain revealing pics.