Dianna Russini has remained relatively quiet since she resigned from The Athletic, but it sounds like NFL fans will see her soon enough.
Russini resigned from The Athletic shortly after Page Six released photos of her spending time with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at a hotel in Arizona. Her exit didn’t stop TMZ from sharing footage that proved her connection with Vrabel dates back to 2021.
One of Russini’s former colleagues, Mike Silver, said he expects her to return to the sports media industry in the future. Well, speculation surrounding her career is about to ramp up.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Russini is “absolutely” planning a return to sports media. She has apparently had discussions about several job opportunities ahead of Week 1.
“Russini hasn’t decided on her next play,” McCarthy wrote. “But with the kickoff of the new pro football season only six days away, the former ESPN reporter is expected to make her move sooner rather than later.”
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The Athletic wrapped up its investigation into Russini.
The Athletic had Mike Semel, its editorial director for standards and editorial quality, view 903 stories and 204 podcast episodes that Russini contributed on to see if she violated the publication’s standards.
Russini’s work for The Athletic didn’t show clear bias towards Vrabel and the Patriots, but her ties to the coach violated the publication’s standards.
“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards,” the report states. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
It’ll be interesting to see which network offers Russini a second chance.
