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It’s official: Dianna Russini is launching her comeback in sports media.
Confirming a Front Office Sports story from Friday, BetUS Sportsbook announced Monday that the former NFL reporter for The Athletic and elsewhere will launch her own weekly show and write a column.
Russini’s new show, called The Russini Report, will premier Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 12 p.m. ET on BetUS Tv.
BetUS previously described the program as a live NFL betting show that will include game previews, guest interviewers, matchup breakdowns and data-backed NFL information.
Russini’s accompanying column will offer her analysis on game matchups and the NFL itself.
“I’ve spent 20 years chasing the stories everyone’s talking about. Now I get to tell them my way,” Russini said in a video clip announcing her show. “Welcome to ‘The Russini Report.’ Every week I’ll bring you what I’m hearing around the league, why it matters and what happens next. I’ll have guests. I’m going to have opinions. And I’m going to have a lot of fun.”
While Russini previously co-hosted a podcast, Scoop City, and regularly appeared on ESPN’s airwaves when she was at the network, this show will present both the challenge and opportunity of cutting through without the backing of a major media network.
BetUS is an offshore sportsbook, based in Costa Rica, that also has Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman as an endorser. Several U.S. states have issued cease-and-desist orders against the gambling site.
It will be Russini’s reemergence after she resigned from The Athletic in April, days after the New York Post published photographs of her hugging and holding hands with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Arizona.
When the Post published its first story, Russini and Vrabel both issued statements saying that their relationship was platonic, not romantic. Subsequent photos published by the Post and TMZ showed the pair and a bar and a casino. Vrabel ultimately said that he had “some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players,” and missed a day of the NFL Draft to attend counseling.
The Athletic ultimately released the results of its investigation in September, saying that the reporter “should have disclosed to The Athletic the nature of her relationship with Vrabel to allow editors to assess the kinds of stories on which she should have been working.”
The investigation did not seek to delineate whether their relationship was romantic, and suggested adding editor’s notes to three videos and one story in which Russini covered Vrabel during her time at the outlet.
One of the elements of Russini’s return that warrants monitoring is how much cooperation she will be able to get from NFL teams, players, and coaches. The league itself would have to approve her press credentials for tentpole events such as the Super Bowl (and Radio Row), the NFL Draft, and the combine.
The NFL could not be reached for comment about whether it would credential Russini.
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