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So what’s next for Dianna Russini after stepping down from The Athletic on Tuesday?
That’s the big question after the website’s senior NFL insider resigned a week after the New York Post’s Page Six published photos of her hugging and holding hands with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only Arizona resort.
On the one hand, the media veteran remains defiant, publicly posting her resignation letter on X/Twitter. She made clear she plans to continue her media career. Russini’s deal with The Athletic was set to expire on June 30.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she wrote Tuesday.
The embattled insider added it was her call to resign because she did not want to lend the story “further oxygen” or let it “define” her and her career.
On the other hand, The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg wrote in a letter to staff that the site’s “standards review” of Russini’s coverage will continue despite her resignation. That means there could be more potentially embarrassing shoes to drop.
For now, Russini’s career prospects remain murky. She could pursue another NFL insider role with a major media outlet such as ESPN, Fox Sports, or NFL Network. But traditional outlets might shy away from hiring because of the tabloid headlines.
Whatever she decides, it won’t be easy. When Russini posted one innocuous tweet about NFL news in the aftermath of the Vrabel photos being published, she was ratioed into oblivion. The replies were vicious.
On Wednesday morning, Front Office Sports spoke with Jemele Hill about Russini’s prospects. Like Russini, Hill is a former ESPNer. She’s since gone independent, serving as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and hosting podcasts such as Spolitics and Flagrant and Funny with Cari Champion. Hill went through her own trial by tabloids after referring to President Donald Trump as a “white supremacist” at ESPN in 2017.
“Regardless of what the actual truth is, it would probably be difficult in the mainstream media market for her to probably get a job,” Hill told FOS. “Beyond the question of whether she crossed some journalistic lines, I think people would probably worry about it creating the kind of headlines that media outlets don’t want to create. So, at least in this initial wave of it, it will be kind of difficult for her to find something.
“Maybe independent journalism would be the best avenue,” Hill continued. “Dianna is good at her job. She’s a good insider. She’s somebody who has provided quality NFL coverage for a long time. But unfortunately being a woman in this position, it’s going to be a lot harder for her to recover than say if she were a man. It just will be. It’s an unfortunate but very stark and true reality of our business.”
The good news for Russini is she already has an offer. Her friend, Fox Sports Radio host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, said last week he would hire her immediately for his show if she left The Athletic. And no, Weiner’s not worried about potential conflicts of interest.
“This entire industry is littered with conflicts of interest,” said Weiner. “Every single take that anyone makes is littered in conflict of interest. I don’t want to hear about it. I spoke to her, O.K. she’s going through a very difficult time. She’s going to survive this. And again, anyone who wants to get rid of her, I will hire her in two seconds.”
Russini was a recurring guest for years on Weiner’s previous program, The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. So a move to Le Batard’s independent Meadowlark Media is also a possibility. Le Batard said on his show last week that he was “uncomfortable” discussing the Russini story until he talked to his friend. But he also noted her talent and strong relationships.
“This woman is at the height of sports journalism,” said Le Batard. “She got there the right and the hardest way. Fighting the other information people to get to the top of information that is credible, that is rock solid reported, stronger than the opinion-maker. She’s not an opinion-maker. She’s a journalist. And she has good relationships in the business.”
Besides The Dan Le Batard Show, Russini was a frequent guest on Barstool Sports’s Pardon My Take with Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter. But founder Dave Portnoy calls the hiring shots at Barstool. Portnoy raised eyebrows with a post on Twitter on Tuesday questioning Russini’s statement.
“If we’re just being honest this explanation really makes zero sense. I don’t think anybody should lose their job over alleged canoodling but this statement makes it seem like there was definitely canoodling happening,” he tweeted. “An innocent canoodler would probably welcome a thorough investigation to prove their innocence and exonerate themselves right? This screams guilty canoodler to me.”
Katz also dropped a curious tweet Tuesday seemingly questioning Russini’s alibi that she was on a trip with female friends when she ran into Vrabel. “It just dawned on me there may not have been a girls hiking trip,” he posted.
As Hill noted, Russini’s best move might be to go independent, at least at first. She could launch her own podcast/YouTube show and Substack column. Or team up with a gambling giant such as DraftKings or an emerging prediction-market platform like Kalshi. Pat McAfee, Shannon Sharpe, and Michelle Beadle have carved careers for themselves as independents. Such a move could enable Russini to own her own IP and be her own boss.
Meanwhile, the reaction among sports journalists to Russini’s resignation has been split. The talented and likable insider has many friends across the media and NFL. When FOS asked Beadle about Russini’s next move, she expressed her full support.
“I’m a big fan of Dianna personally and professionally. Whatever happened or didn’t happen is between the two photographed adults and their close circles,” Beadle told FOS on Tuesday. “What’s depressing is the woman in this continues to be the target of misogyny and hypocrisy. And accountability escapes the other. A lot of men and women in this business have done things that would be considered ‘inappropriate,’ but those glasshouse owners have been really loud on this. I support [Dianna] in whatever she does next. She’s a damn good talent.”
On Wednesday, Hill also questioned the double standard around Russini and Vrabel. While she fights for her professional life, the reigning AP NFL Coach of the Year sails on unscathed from a story he deemed “laughable.”
“In a lot of these gender dynamics, women usually wind up taking the brunt of the criticism, the brunt of the scrutiny. In just about any situation you can think, women usually don’t come out on the better end of this,” Hill says. “Even now when you look at their careers, he’s not going to miss a day of work. He didn’t even have to face the media about this? He’s had to answer for nothing. She’s had to answer for everything. I find that to be really unfair.”
The same double standard can be seen in the reaction of Russini’s and Vrabel’s respective employers, added Hill.
“Mike Vrabel, no matter how this situation turns out, regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, is going to be able to go back to his job as if nothing happened,” Hill says. “That’s just the imbalance in how these things work. The Patriots aren’t going to fire him. His job was never on the line. Hers always was.”
Conversely, columnist Nancy Armour of USA Today wrote that Russini put the credibility of all women in sports “at risk.”
“Russini has given new fire to the infuriating trope that women in sports are only here to hook up with athletes,” Armour wrote. “Even if they turn out to be innocent, the photos of Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel hugging and socializing at a resort in Arizona cast a cloud of suspicion on the interactions every woman reporter or broadcaster has with athletes, coaches and front-office personnel.”
Given the nature of her resignation and her previous contract with The Athletic, it’s unclear when Russini will be available to work again. But if her statement is any indication, her career—and this story—are far from over.
