Tyler Vrabel – Mike Vrabel’s family is back under the spotlight after his son Tyler was charged in Tennessee with reckless driving, speeding, and driving with an expired registration on May 9—just weeks after the coach’s affair controversy involving reporter Dianna Russini.
On a quiet morning in Brentwood, Tennessee, Tyler Vrabel was pulled over by police—and within hours the case began piling onto the Vrabel family at the worst possible time.
Police records obtained by the New York Post say the 26-year-old was charged with reckless driving. speeding. and driving with an expired registration after officers stopped him in Williamson County on May 9. The traffic stop happened at around 8:15 a.m. and the arrest affidavit alleges Tyler was driving a Ford F-150 truck at 71 mph in a 45 mph zone.
When he was stopped, the affidavit says Tyler produced a registration that had been out of date since December 2024. The same document states the vehicle was passing residential houses and other local motorists in what it described as a highly reckless manner.
The legal process moved quickly. Online records indicate formal charges were filed on May 21, and the total fines listed for the assistant coach come to nearly $1,000. Included in those steep penalties is a mandatory $250 fee required for taking a blood alcohol test during the traffic stop.
Tyler, who recently got engaged to partner Mariah Romano, is now an offensive line coach at Boston College after a stint in the NFL.
His arrest comes just weeks after a massive affair scandal that thrust his father. Mike Vrabel. back into the national spotlight. The controversy began after photographs emerged showing Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini cozied up together at an exclusive. adults-only resort during a trip to Sedona. Arizona.
The Post later published additional photos showing Vrabel and Russini together at the same resort. including breakfast images. along with pictures depicting the two kissing at a New York bar in March 2020. Russini’s marriage was also dragged into the story: she and her husband. Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt. were married in September 2020. Vrabel, meanwhile, has been married to Jen since 1999.
Further photos also circulated beyond those Sedona images. The Daily Mail published pictures of Vrabel with Russini at a Biloxi. Mississippi. casino in January 2024. and photos of him with a pregnant Russini renting a boat on a Tennessee lake three years earlier. when he was coaching the Titans and she was reporting for ESPN.
Before the first round of the NFL Draft, Vrabel stopped short of a clear confession. But he did admit his actions had caused harm. He conceded. “My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to.” He also said. “a distraction to the people that I care most about. my family. this football team. the organization and our fans.”.
During the Draft, Vrabel stepped away from the team during the third day to attend counseling. He explained the decision in the words, “They don’t. What I believe is best for the two most important things in my life. my family and this football team. is for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I’d give them. which is the best version of me. and that’s what we’re going to do.” He added. “My priorities are my family and this football team – and in that order – and there’s a balance there that I am going to create. My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be.”.
Through it all, Tyler’s personal life has been changing, too. His fiancée. Mariah Romano. shared photos from their engagement party on Instagram. and the third image in her post shows Mike and Jen smiling alongside their soon-to-be daughter-in-law and two sons. Romano wrote in the caption: “the most perfect engagement surrounded by the people I love most”.
The timing has left the family facing two separate storms at once—first the fallout from Vrabel’s affair scandal, then Tyler’s traffic stop and the charges that followed.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Brentwood Police Department, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Boston College for comment.
Mike Vrabel Tyler Vrabel reckless driving Brentwood Tennessee Boston College offensive line coach Dianna Russini NFL Draft counseling Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt Mariah Romano engagement