ESPN brutally trolls Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Athletic reporter over alleged relationship

The hosts of ESPN's Inside the NBA had some fun at the expense of the controversy-mired New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini . During a Sunday night discussion about the Boston Celtics ' exit from the NBA playoffs, the hosts showed a photoshopped image depicting a Boston fishing boat carrying a handful of Boston-area celebrities — John Krasinski, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, sportscaster Bill Simmons, and Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were all present — as well as two other figures recreating the iconic "I'm flying" scene from Titanic at the ship's bow. Those two figures were representations of Vrabel and Russini.

Page Six shared images of the two at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona, last month allegedly holding hands and sitting by the hotel's pool together. Both have denied allegations of wrongdoing. Vrabel and Russini are both married to other spouses, and it is considered a serious breach of ethics for a journalist to engage in a romantic relationship with a source .

Host Kenny Smith, playing dumb, tried to bait co-host Charles Barkley into commenting on the alleged couple's inclusion on the graphic. "Who are those two people at the front? " Smith asked, laying the trap for Barkley.

"I don't know them. " A graphic shown during an episode of ESPN's 'Inside the NBA' included a photoshopped image of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini, a former reporter for The Athletic, in a pose referencing the film 'Titanic. ' (ESPN's Inside the NBA) Barkley didn't want to touch the issue.