Dianna Russini, who recently departed The Athletic as a senior NFL insider, is reportedly exploring opportunities for a return to sports media. Following an internal probe by The Athletic into her relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, Russini stepped down in April.
Front Office Sports reported that Russini has been in discussions for new job openings that could include roles as a pro football insider or a personality/opinionist. Barstool Sports is considered a leading candidate to hire her, given her existing relationships with hosts of the "Pardon My Take" podcast.
The Athletic's investigation, which spanned nearly five months, concluded that Russini was "noncompliant" with the New York Times-owned company's standards. The review, conducted by Mike Semel, The Athletic's editorial director for standards and editorial quality, examined 903 stories, 77 videos, 204 podcast episodes, and 25 off-platform appearances. Semel's findings indicated that while the majority of Russini's work for The Athletic was unrelated to Vrabel and generally transactional, there were instances where she wrote "glowingly" about him, which in hindsight could be considered awkward or uncomfortable. The review also noted that Russini did not disclose the nature of her relationship with Vrabel to her editors, preventing them from assessing which stories she should have covered. She reportedly informed her managers about the situation two days after Page Six initially published photos of her and Vrabel together in March.
Russini, 43, joined The Athletic in August 2023 after an eight-year tenure at ESPN, where she served as a top NFL insider contributing to shows like "SportsCenter" and "Get Up."
Vrabel, when asked about the investigation's findings, stated that he had "no reaction" and that his focus was on the team. He did not face disciplinary action from the Patriots or the NFL. Vrabel also attended counseling with his family, missing the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft.