Emmanuel Acho dubs himself ‘foremost expert’ on Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini plight

Emmanuel Acho knows a thing or two about having romantic work relationships exposed, which is why he might know a thing or two about what Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini are going through right now.

Unless you’re like Chad Johnson, the last person to find out about Vrabel and Russini last night while recording Nightcap, you’re probably aware the NFL insider and New England Patriots head coach were caught embracing each other poolside at an adults-only hotel in Arizona last month.

Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, strongly denied any romantic relationship. But pictures of the meeting were published by Page Six, and it quickly became one of the most talked about stories in a slow week on the sports calendar.

Wednesday night, it was Speakeasy’s turn to address the Vrabel-Russini relationship. And without hesitation, Emmanuel Acho said the quiet part out loud, getting ahead of seeing his name dragged into any jokes about the topic.

“As the foremost expert on this topic,” Acho said to the tune of laughter. “Let’s just take the sting out. Beat them to the punchline! As the foremost expert on this topic, here’s what nobody’s talking about regarding Russini and Vrabel, somebody hired a private investigator.”

But Acho wasn’t referring to himself as the “foremost expert on this topic” because he has any private investigator experience. He’s talking about his alleged relationship with former FS1 colleague and co-host Joy Taylor.

Last year, a former Fox Sports hairstylist filed a workplace misconduct lawsuit against the company alleging sexual harassment and a toxic workplace culture. Acho was not named as a defendant, but the lawsuit did allege he was having a consensual sexual relationship with Taylor.

The situations are different. Acho was not married at the time of his alleged relationship with Taylor. But considering his history of having a romantic relationship exposed in public, Acho knew weighing in on the photos of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini was going to welcome its own jokes. Which is why he opted to rip that Band-Aid off right away by making the first joke.